Held Captive
by Iridescent Bellisle Cullen
Summary: The alternate version of We Have Each Other, and That's Enough Rewritten. What if Edward found out that Bella contacted Carlisle and had her gang-raped like he said he would? What if he also kidnapped her and took her to another country? Will Bella and Carlisle ever see each other again, or is all hope lost? Rated M for abuse, language, lemons, rape, and character death.
1. NOT AGAIN!

(A/N: Hi everyone. Welcome to my new story. I hope that you like it. We'll be starting off from the scene where Edward threatened Bella and she checks for injuries in chapter 8 of _We Have Each Other_-if you haven't read it, please do or you won't understand what's going on-so here we go...)

**Bella's POV**

_"Stop crying," he ordered, wiping away my tears impatiently. "Don't pretend that you didn't enjoy that. You liked it. You know you did. Now, listen closely. I have to go hunting. I want you to go in your house and get yourself ready for me. We're going to have another round or two. Another connection of mine has already brought you truck here, so don't worry about it being left on the side of that highway. If Carlisle comes to visit you, send him away **immediately**. Your relationship with him is over. He doesn't love you as I do. Don't believe what he or Alice said about you two being mates either. **It is a lie**. You are **mine**, Bella. Carlisle was just jealous because he didn't have anyone, and wanted to take you away from me. Well, now the tables have turned. I didn't wait for more than a hundred years to find my true love and end up with no one. I smell so much as a whiff of his scent on you, he will pay. And if I find out that you had disobeyed me, I will have you gang-raped. Then, I will let you go back to Carlisle as you wish, and we shall see how badly he will want you after you tell him what happened. I would be amazed if he didn't think that you were nothing but a selfish little whore that had brought this on herself."_

_Before I could yell at him, protest, or argue, he kissed me on the lips. He pressed me into him so that I couldn't squirm away. "I will see you in a few hours, Bella. Don't forget what I had told you. I love you, and I'm sorry for hitting and threatening you. I didn't mean to lose my temper."_

_With that, he unlocked the door. "You can get out now."_

_I opened and shut it gently. I glanced around. I was standing in my driveway. My truck was there, but Charlie's police cruiser was gone. I wished that it was there when I needed it to be the most. I peeked into my truck's window to see if my backpack had been stolen, but it was still on the floor. I turned away and stumbled over to the house._

_A horn beeped behind me. I pivoted to see Edward blowing a kiss at me and waving. Dickhead!_

_I didn't respond, just opened the front door, trembling with suppressed sobs. I gingerly climbed the stairs one at a time because of the ache between my thighs and butt cheeks and slipped into my almost-dark bedroom._

_When I peered into my mirror to inspect the damage I had sustained, I recoiled in horror. The entire left side of my face was bruised. My eye was swollen shut, and my lip was bleeding a little. There were hand-shaped marks on my cheek that ran from my temple to my chin. In addition to that was a golf-ball sized lump on the right side of my forehead where it hit the window. My wrists had rope marks and bruises on them, as well as my arms, stomach, hips, and thighs, which were also laced with dried semen._

_Just seeing myself made me cry harder. I sank onto my bed, burying my face in my pillow as I heard the sound of Edward's new car racing away into the distance._

For a while, I just laid there. The silence was so thick that you could cut in with a knife. I did not cry anymore, but tears crept under my eyelids and dropped onto my pillow.

"_Stop crying._" Edward's voice echoed in my head.

I squeezed my eyes shut and more tears rolled down my face. No. I didn't want to think of him. Not now.

"_You liked it. You know you did_."

I began to weep quietly. _Go away. Please, go away. Leave me alone,_ I said to my thoughts, which I didn't need to be told was odd.

However, they kept coming. Visions of Edward moaning and groaning on top of me. Of his fist plowing into my eye, my arms, my stomach. Of him telling me that he loved me while he thrusted forcefully in and out of me.

But if he loved me, why did he hurt me, rape me? Did he really believe that doing so would make me choose him over Carlisle? That I would be frightened into getting back together with him? If he did, then he was out of his fucking mind! Going back to him was not an option. I would not allow him to let him stamp all over my heart again.

And speaking of Carlisle, who was Edward to threaten me to keep away from him!? He was my soul mate and one true love. There was absolutely no way that I could do it. What was my life without him, other than meaningless and empty? I had every right to be with him!

"..._I__f I find out that you had disobeyed me, I will have you gang-raped._"

Fuck that. I didn't care (well, I did somewhat. I didn't want to be raped twice.) Being gang-raped was nothing compared to being forced to break ties with Carlisle and stay away from him for the rest of my life or existence.

Without thinking about it, I reached for my cell phone and texted Carlisle.

_Babe, are you still working?-B_

He replied a minute later.

_Yes, but my last shift is almost over. Why?-C_

_I need you to come here-B  
_

_Why? What is the matter sweetheart? Did something happen?-C  
_

Tears clouded my vision. _Yes-B_

_Okay, I'll be there in about an hour, but I'll try to come sooner. Do you think that you can wait until then?-C  
_

_Yes, I'm not going anywhere-B  
_

_Don't. Stay there, please, and I'll come to see you before you know it. I love you, Isabella-C  
_

_I love you too, Carlisle. Hurry-B  
_

_I will certainly try to-C  
_

Sighing, I laid the phone next to me and covered myself with my blanket. I hoped that he would arrive soon. I just needed Carlisle to hold me in his arms and tell me that everything would be all right.

The minutes lagged by. It was quiet except for the wind blowing outside and the hum of the refrigerator. Eventually, I grew less tense and felt myself becoming drowsy.

However, just as I was about to fall asleep, there was a loud knock on the door. I sat bolt upright, wondering who would visit at this time of night. Then I remembered the party. It was likely to be Jacob, coming to make sure that I was okay. Either him or Charlie. Sometimes, he left his key at home by mistake.

The person knocked again. "Hold on! I'm coming!" I yelled, grabbing a jacket with a hood that would cover the left side of my face. After that, I rushed down the stairs. "I'm coming!"

I pulled the hood over my head before unlocking the door.

Later, I would come to regret that I chose to answer that knock. As soon as the door was halfway open, I was yanked out of it. The person clamped their hand over my mouth, shut the door, and lifted me up.

_No! No! Not again!_ I thought in fear and distress as I was hauled over the porch stairs. I prayed that somebody would see what was going on, but I didn't hear anyone say something or try to stop this.

I was thrown into the back of a truck. I attempted to escape, but a pair of hands grabbed my wrists as the door closed and shoved me onto the floor. Darkness surrounded me and I was unable to see a thing.

I opened my mouth to scream, but I was choked before I could. I yelled anyway, and as loud as possible.

"BE QUIET!" a familiar voice hissed, its owner slapping me on the left side of my face.

I whimpered in pain. "Edward, don't do this," I pleaded, gasping. I knew that it was him, that monster. "I'm begging you. Please don't do this to me. Please!"

He gagged me. "Shut up. You are going to get what's coming to you for defying me. I wasn't that far away, you know. I was close enough so that Alice still wouldn't be able to see you, in case you had any tricks up your sleeve." He snatched me up. "I saw through Carlisle's mind that you sent him a text message. Did I not tell you that he isn't your mate and not to see or speak to him any longer? You didn't listen! You never do!" he whispered, punching my right arm.

I clutched it in my hand. "Pwease lef me gohf. I won't doof if again, I swearf!" I wept. ("Please let me go. I won't do it again, I swear!")

"No. You disobeyed me, and you will suffer the consequences," he remarked.

"Efward, pwease!" I implored. ("Edward, please!")

SMACK! "Didn't I say no? Now, _shut up_! Just shut the fuck up! Understand?" he growled lowly.

I did, but I continued to plead with him, hoping that I would to get him to change his mind. If he loved me as much as he said he did, then he would listen to me. Unfortunately, Edward didn't. He just kept hitting me and telling me to be quiet.

There was a knock on the wall some time later. "Mr. Cullen, we're almost at the private location. Only another half mile to go," a man declared.

"All right. Thank you," Edward yelled back.

Terror welled up inside of me, knowing what was going to happen when the truck stopped. I didn't want to be raped again. Once was bad enough, but twice was worse. "EFWARD, PWEASE!" I begged once more. "LEF ME GOHF!"

"I gave you my answer! We are not discussing this! The subject is closed!"

"Efward-!"

WHAM! His fist crashed into my stomach. I wrapped my arms around it and groaned in pain.

The truck slowed to a stand-still. A moment later, the door opened. I tried to hide behind something, but Edward snatched me up.

"LEF ME GOHF! LEF ME GOHF!" I bellowed, struggling against him.

Ignoring me, he looked up. "Do you have your condoms? I don't want you spoiling my prize. I need her to stay healthy," he admonished.

Prize!? I wasn't some fucking animal or an object!

One of the four men who had entered the back of the vehicle nodded. "Yes, sir," he replied. The door was slammed shut. There was another brief moment of darkness before a lamp was lit.

"Good. Make sure that you have your spares, just in case," Edward ordered. He moved his head this way and that as I flailed, attempting to kick and punch him.

"Don't worry, it's all under control, boss. Now let's get started," the second one announced.

"Certainly."

I was held down by two of the other men as Edward undressed me. I tried to move, but they were stronger than me.

Once I was naked, my ankles were tied to a steel frame. Edward pinned my wrists to the floor.

"Lef me gohf! Pwease!" I cried to him.

He shook his head. "It is too late for that now. You should have realized that this was going to happen when you texted Carlisle. If you hadn't, you wouldn't be in this predicament. You should have heeded my warning, and now, you shall endure your punishment," he murmured into my ear. Then he bobbed his head to the men. "Jerry, you may go first. Remember the orders I gave you. You have ten minutes."

"NO!" I shouted, trying to break free of Edward's grasp, but it was not possible. I could only sob as Jerry's hands explored my body. "PWEASE NO! STOP!"

"Don't cry, Isabella. A little discipline won't hurt you. Everything will be okay," Edward assured, stroking my arm in what he thought was a comforting manner. However, it just made me feel nauseated.

Oh God, why? Why me?

I heard the sound of pants being unzipped. I closed my eyes to prevent myself from seeing anything that I didn't want to.

Edward shook me. "Keep your eyes open, Isabella. Punishments have to be faced bravely."

Who the hell was he to tell me what to do? My eyes remained closed. Fuck him! He wasn't my father!

Abruptly, my scalp felt as if it were burning. I winced as he forced my eyes open.

"I said to keep them open. Jerry?"

His friend hovered over me. He lined himself up at my entrance before shoving his penis into me. Tears streamed down to my neck as he thrusted in and out of me. The pain was incredible; his dick felt too big for me. I hollered, but Jerry covered my mouth and went on as if nothing happened.

"You are one lucky son of a bitch, Mr. Cullen. This girl's pussy is flawless," he grunted.

"I know. Isabella and I had fun earlier," Edward laughed.

Two minutes later, Jerry flipped me over before slamming his cock into my ass. I yelped in agony.

Edward caressed my cheek. "It's all right, baby. I know it hurts, but he won't be long."

I jerked my face away from him. "Dof toufsh me!" ("Don't touch me!")

"Suit yourself."

Jerry's five minutes were soon (but not soon enough) over. For the next half hour, I continued to get raped by Edward's other friends Brad, Daniel, and Victor. Each of them had their way with me for ten minutes apiece. Brad was the worse. He handled into me too roughly. I wept and called to Alice and screamed the whole time. How was it fair that Edward was capable of blocking his decisions and anyone else's in his zone from her? No one paid me very much attention. They kept cheering on the person who was raping me loudly.

When Victor was done with me, I thought that it was over, but I was wrong. Edward crawled on top of me while Jerry held me down.

"Hello," Edward moaned as he pounded into me over and over. My pussy ached; by the end of the half hour, it felt raw. "Are you delighted to see me again?"

"NO, MOFAFUFKER!" I yelled. ("NO, MOTHERFUCKER!")

He snickered. "You're just upset. But you will see that I did this for your own good, and you will thank me for it later. You'll see," he crooned, kissing my forehead.

"Yoof haf gof to be shiffing me, yoof bafstarf!" I sobbed. ("You have got to be shitting me, you bastard!")

"There's no need for name calling. Just take this dick." He slammed into me. I grimaced in pain.

After a long time, Edward was finally finished. I turned over and cried into my hands. I felt ashamed, used, dirty, and betrayed. Why did this have to happen to me? How could he do this? Why me? Why me?

Edward laid a hand on my shoulder. "Are you in pain?" he queried.

"Whaf do yoof fink, shifheaf!? Of course I'm if painf! Yoof anf yoorf friends RAPEF me! I HAFE YOOF!" I wailed. ("What do you think, shithead!? Of course I'm in pain. You and your friends RAPED me! I HATE YOU!")

"Okay, baby. I have something that will take it away."

Was he really this fucking apathetic?

I felt something tighten on my upper arm, and then a pinch. "Ow! Whaf arf yoof doing!?" ("What are you doing!?")

"Giving you some pain reliever." The pinching sensation faded a second later. "There we go. All done."

Suddenly, I began to feel exhausted. I shook my head and tried to stay alert. I didn't want them to take advantage of me when I was too tired to defend myself. However, I continued to feel drowsy until I gradually fell asleep.

This was no pain reliever. It was a sedative!

**Carlisle's POV**

_Fifteen minutes earlier  
_

I strolled out of the hospital, relieved that my last day on the job was over. I hurried over to my Mercedes and climbed in. I had stayed longer than I had intended, and Isabella was probably beginning to worry.

The trip to her place only took about five minutes. Once I had parked in the driveway, I walked up the house and knocked on the door. There was no answer; Isabella may have been sleeping. I knocked again, this time much louder.

I was about to do so a third time when I realized how quiet the house was. I didn't hear anyone breathing. Scowling in confusion, I ambled over to the back yard. Her bedroom light was off. I jumped onto the windowsill and peeked inside.

She was not there, although her scent was still fresh. Perhaps she had decided to go to my house to speak to me.

Pursing my lips, I fell to the ground and called her. Oddly enough, her phone rang at the same moment. I frowned once more. Isabella rarely left the house without it. Maybe it was just an accident, though.

With a sigh, I called Alice instead. The phone rang once before she picked up.

"Hi Carlisle," she greeted.

"Hello, Alice," I returned. "Are you at home?"

"Yes, why?" she inquired.

"Is Isabella with you?"

There was a pause. "No, she's not. I can't see her either. Maybe she's with Jacob."

I blinked. "I don't think so..."

"How come?"

"Because I don't smell the scent of a werewolf at all. Besides that, her truck is here, and she left her phone in her room."

Another pause. "Oh. Well, maybe Jacob picked her up to take her to party and she forgot it."

That was likely, but for some strange reason, I had a feeling that something was out of place.

"Well, perhaps. I'm going to get Isabella's phone and then I'll be on my way to the mansion."

"Okay. I'll see you soon and call if anything."

"Thank you. Bye."

"Bye, Dad."

I hung up and went to retrieve Isabella's cell phone. After that, I stepped into my car and drove home. It was possible that she would call me from Jacob's phone, saying that she forgot hers. I could pick her up at the boundary line and return it to her then.

For now, I decided to let her enjoy herself and wait. However, a strange sense of (urgency?) made me want to look for her, so that I could be certain that she was all right.

(A/N: **PLEASE REVIEW! **What do you think so far? I have been up all night and part of the day writing this and another story, so I am very sleepy. If this beginning sucks, please forgive me.)


	2. A Nightmare in Scotland Sparks a Search

**Bella's POV**

_Next morning  
_

Everything seemed hazy when I finally awakened. It was nearly dark, but a thin sliver of light shone through huge, closed doors. I sat up, grimacing in pain and blinking in confusion. Where was I?

"Good morning, Bella," I heard a familiar voice say on my right. "How are you feeling?"

I jumped, startled. The memories of the previous evening slowly came to me. "Where am I? Why didn't you send me back home!?" I demanded of him. "You said that you would let me go back!"

Edward caressed my face, but I shifted away from him. "Yes, that is true. I did, but why should I? You are mine, not Carlisle's. You belong to me, and whenever I go, you will come with me," he stated.

"What the fuck are you talking about? Take me back to Forks, NOW!" I hollered.

He shook his head. "No. We are going somewhere else."

I glared at him. "_You son of a bitch! You can't just kidnap me! Are you insane!?_"

"Lower your voice, Bella...!"

"NO! I WON'T! I WANT SOMEONE TO HEAR ME!"

Before I knew it, I was gagged once more. "I'm doing this for your own good. Some time away from Carlisle will help you to realize that I am your mate. You have been lovestruck by him for so long that you are brainwashed and mixed up."

Frowning in disbelief, I shrieked. "Miffed stup!? You're the one hoofs miffed stup! If yoof luffed me, you wouldn't have rafed me!" ("Mixed up!? You're the one who's mixed up! If you loved me, you wouldn't have raped me!")

He quirked an eyebrow. "I never raped you, Bella. My connections did, and that was only a punishment to remind you of what happens when you act like a whore," he remarked.

Was he fucking serious? He couldn't be. If he was, he really was as delusional as I was beginning to think that he was!

"Efward, lef me goh home! I WANF TO GOH HOME!" I shouted. ("Edward, let me go home! I WANT TO GO HOME!")

"No. You're coming with me," he growled, losing his patience.

"WYF CANF YOOF UNDUFSTANF!? I DOFE WANF TO BE WIF YOU! LEF ME GOH HOME!" ("WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND!? I DON'T WANT TO BE WITH YOU! LET ME GO HOME!")

Edward smiled. "Of course you do, baby. Admit it; you missed me terribly while I was away, didn't you?"

I huffed. "NO! NOW LEF ME GOH!" I dove at him and started to punch and kick him.

He took my arms. "Bella, stop! You'll hurt yourself!" he warned.

"I'm alreafy hurf! Yoof anf yoorf friends rapef me, remember?" I pointed out, struggling against him. ("I'm already hurt! You and your friends raped me, remember?")

"For the last time, I didn't rape you. _We had sex._ My _connections_ raped you, but that was your own fault. Now, please...calm down. I don't want to have to tie you to the frame," Edward mumbled.

"I WON'T!" I bellowed.

Sighing with irritation, he laid me down and bound me to the frame. "Now, settle down. Fighting me will only make you tired. And don't scream," he ordered.

I chuckled mirthlessly. "That sounds like a good idea," I remarked before yelling over and over again while mentally calling to Alice.

That was when Edward snapped and punched me in the leg. "What did I just tell you? Do you have to have to be so stubborn all of the time? You had best learn soon to do as you are told!"

"GOH TO HELL!"

"No thanks, I'll pass. Just be quiet. Are you hungry?"

I stared at him in distaste and wonder at his change of emotion. Was he bipolar? Or just misunderstood and troubled? If he didn't rape me and have me raped, I would have felt sorry for him, and _perhaps_ been more lenient with him.

He met my gaze evenly. "Are you hungry?" he repeated.

I refused to answer, but my stomach did for me. I cursed it before looking away from Edward.

"What would you like to eat?" he persisted.

I did not say anything at first. "Carlisle," I responded in a snide voice.

Edward laughed, obviously thinking that I was joking. "He's not here, and besides, I meant food. Would you like pancakes? A McMuffin? Hash browns, sausages? A cinnamon bun?"

I cocked my head to the side. "Uh, lefs see. I would like..._to goh home_. That's whaf I would like."

Gritting his teeth, he decided to leave me alone.

I roared with impatience. "HELLO! I SAID I WANF TO GOH HOME!"

He ignored me. Fucking cunt!

"ARF YOOF DEAF!? I! WANF! TO! GOH! _HOME_! LEF! ME! _GOH_! YOU! BAFSTARF!"

Silence. I grew more enraged.

"PWEASE!?"

Nothing.

Desperate tears formed in my eyes. "Efward, _why_?" I implored, beginning to sob in fury.

His jaw worked. "I told you already. I will not say it again," he hissed.

My shoulders trembled. "I'm not yours. If I was, I wouldn't be pweading wif yoof to lef me goh! Can't yoof see that, or arf yoof too obsessed to?" I demanded.

Edward's mouth fell in incredulity. "Obsessed!? Is that what you think that I am!? It is _you_..._you_ are in denial. You are angry because I had rightfully taught you a lesson, and are too stubborn to see it. As I had said last night; you will thank me for it later. You'll see."

"Why the fuck would anyone be fankful for being rapef!? You're cwazy!"

"Bella, trust me on this."

He had to be kidding! "You're delusional!"

Suddenly, Edward was hovering over me. "If you call me that, or crazy, or obsessed one more time, I will give you a reason to do so," he snarled darkly.

I rose an eyebrow. "Yoof rapef me! Yoof had me rapef! Ifsn't that reason enough!?" I inquired angrily.

He choked me. "_Did I__ not tell you** twice** that I never fucking raped you_!? Keep pushing my buttons, and I will to give you a reason to say that I did as a punishment! Then you can accuse me of doing so as many times as you damn well please! And it will be your fault that I had lost my temper!" he growled in my face.

I cringed, afraid that he would hurt me.

Trailing a finger down the side of my cheek, Edward inquired in a soft, evilly sweet voice, "Do you want to be raped, Bella?"

I gasped for air. "No," I whimpered. "Get off of me. I can't bweathe. Pwease!"

He narrowed his eyes at me before sitting on his heels and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Bella, please don't make me upset. I don't want to slip up and cause harm to you. Really, I don't. I love you," he murmured.

"If yoof luff me, then wyf did haff me rapef!?"

"You know why. Now, you're hungry. You need to keep your strength up. What do you want to eat for breakfast?"

I peered at him mutely. Not this shit again! But he was right; I was famished. I exhaled deeply. All of the fight had left me, making me feel drained. "Panfcakes anf oranfe juice," I grunted, choosing to just answer him. I was tired of bickering.

He bobbed his head. "All right. See? All you had to do was tell me. You didn't need to start an argument." He kissed me on the cheek. I wiped it off when he wasn't paying attention. He took his phone out and called someone. "Hello, Jerry? Stop at the next McDonald's and buy everyone something to eat...I'll just have a sausage McMuffin with eggs, and buy Bella pancakes and orange juice, and an orange juice for me...thank you." He hung up and turned to me. "It shouldn't take long for him to get our food."

I made a face. "Whoo-hoof. Yiffee." I rolled my eyes.

A short time later, I felt the truck slow down to a halt. Instinctively, I struggled against the frame, but Edward wrapped an arm around me.

"Bella, relax. They won't do anything except give us our food," he assured me.

"Sure," I whispered, not believing him.

The door opened and Jerry climbed in. "Here's your breakfast, boss," he stated, holding out a bag. He looked around and eyed me lustfully. "By the way, can I have another go with her? I'm feeling kind of horny right now."

For a moment, I thought that Edward was going to say yes. To my astonishment, however, he didn't. "No. She's tired," he added when Jerry was about to complain.

He scowled sullenly. "All right," he muttered, leaving us. He closed the door.

Edward turned on the lamp. "Here. Let me untie you and remove your gag so that you can eat. And don't even think of yelling or escaping. We are in a secluded area, and the door is locked."

_And I thought that he couldn't read my mind_, I said to myself as I rubbed my numb wrists.

"You may have my McMuffin and orange juice. I don't need it, of course." He offered them to me.

"No thanks."

"Okay, then. I'll save them for later. Go ahead and eat."

I crossed my arms. "First, I want to know where we are."

This time, Edward answered me immediately. "Canada."

I gaped at him with disbelief. "CANADA!?" I exploded. "Have you lost your mind!? Why in the _fuck_ would you take me to Canada!?"

"Because Victor has a private jet here. You and I are going on an extended vacation outside of Newton Mearns, Scotland, and they are coming with us. I have a house there," he replied calmly.

"Vacation!? Bullshit! It will be a _nightmare_! Just take me home, please! You've gotten what you wanted, so let me go!"

Edward brandished a carton at me. "Bella, please eat and settle down."

I smacked it away. "FUCK THAT! I'M TALKING TO YOU!" I yelled, bolting up. "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME!? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT WOULD DO TO CHARLIE IF I TURN UP _MISSING_!? WHAT ABOUT YOUR FAMILY? CARLISLE? ALICE? EMMETT? ROSALIE? JASPER? HOW DO YOU THINK THAT IT WOULD MAKE _THEM_ FEEL!? BUT I GUESS THAT YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT THEM! ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS WHAT _YOU_ WANT, YOU SELFISH PRICK!"

He sighed impatiently. "First of all, I said that we were going on vacation. I never said that we weren't going back. We will after a while to let everybody know that we're back together," he remarked.

"AND WHAT ABOUT CHARLIE!? HE'LL WANT TO KNOW WHERE I AM! HE'S GOING TO COME LOOKING FOR ME! YOU CAN'T JUST KIDNAP ME AND EXPECT EVERYTHING TO GO SMOOTHLY!" I bellowed in his face.

"Your dad will be fine. Doesn't he already know that you're going to Alaska?"

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY FUCKING DIFFERENCE, ESPECIALLY IF CARLISLE OR ALICE TELLS HIM THAT I'M MISSING, WHICH IS WHAT I _KNOW_ THAT THEY'LL DO. AND YOU KNOW DAMN WELL THAT EVERYONE IN YOUR FAMILY WILL SEARCH FOR ME TOO! I CAN'T _WAIT_ FOR THE DAY THAT THEY FIND ME! YOU WILL GET WHATS COMING TO YOU AFTER I TELL THEM THAT YOU _RAPED_ ME-!"

Edward drew back and his hand and slapped me so hard that I fell onto the floor. Before I could get back up, he was on top of me, his face crumpled in rage. He looked like the vampire that he was.

"I told you that I didn't, but since you want to keep saying that I have, I will do it to satisfy you!" he declared with a growl, pulling my clothes off and tying my wrist to the frames once more.

Panic-stricken, I begged, "Edward, no, please! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! It just slipped out, honest, it did! Please, _please_ don't do it!"

Glaring at me with narrowed eyes, he whispered, "I don't believe you. You want this. You want me to rape you, and I shall give you what you have been asking for!"

He opened my legs, but I struggled to close them, attempting to loosen the rope that bound my wrists together in vain. "NO!" I screamed. "NO!"

Edward clamped his palm over my mouth before thrusting into me. I tried to yank it off of me, but he was too strong. I screamed and wept as he continued to force himself on me, causing pain to rip through my body. _Alice, please hear me. Please help me_, I thought.

After a while, Edward flew into his orgasm and slid out of me. "There. I raped you. Happy? You can blame me for doing it as much as you want now, but remember. It is _your_ fault for getting on my nerves," he sneered.

I quaked with furious, frightened sobs. "You're evil. Just plain evil," I hissed.

**Carlisle's POV**

_Same time_

When Isabella did not call by eleven o'clock the next morning, I was frantic. No matter what, she almost always woke up between nine and ten. Where on Earth could she be? We had to leave for the airport soon!

I asked Alice if she knew, but she told me that she still couldn't see her. "Bella might still be with Jacob. I have his number. Do you want it?" she queried.

"Yes. Thank you," I murmured after she gave it to me. I dialed the number in lightning speed. Jacob picked up on the first ring.

"Hello? Who's this?" he grunted, sounding exhausted.

"Good morning, Jacob. This is Dr. Cullen," I responded.

There was a pause. "Oh. What do you want? How did you get my number?" he demanded.

Well, this was going to be easy. "My daughter Alice. I only called to see if Isabella was with you. She had left her cell phone at her house."

He was silent again. "No, she's not. I haven't seen her since last weekend, and haven't talked to her since the day before yesterday."

"I haven't seen her since yesterday either. She didn't come to the party?"

"No, and I was wondering where she was. Wasn't she with _you_?"

I felt as if my heart had fallen into my stomach. "No. She sent me a text message last night saying that something had happened, but when I dropped by her house, she was gone. Her truck was in the driveway, though."

"Maybe she took a walk or something. Would you like for me to check for you, or would you like to do it yourself?"

"I would, but if you are willing to, I don't mind."

"Okay. I'll call you back no later than a half an hour. That will give me more than enough time to phase and see if she's home, around Forks, or lost in the woods somewhere. I'll even check around Seattle. Is that alright?"

"Certainly. I'll be right here. Good-bye."

"Bye." _Click._

I paced around the room nervously, glancing at my phone occasionally. Finally, Jacob called back in less than twenty minutes.

"I couldn't smell her scent anywhere except for at her house, and it's faint. None of my friends have seen her either," he implied in a worried voice.

I froze, and it seemed as if time did also.

"Hello? Dr. Cullen? Are you there?" Jacob called to me.

"...Yes. Are you sure?" I questioned numbly.

"Very sure. Do you know where she could be? Can't Alice see Bella?"

"...No."

It was deafeningly quiet. Even my children had stopped talking. If Alice was unable to see her, and her scent couldn't be smelled, then it could only mean one thing.

Edward must have came back.

I cleared my throat. "Have you found Edward's scent?" I demanded urgently.

His reply was immediate. "No. Why?"

"Because Alice is still unable to see him. And if she can't see Isabella, then..."

There was an intake of breath. "Are you saying that that cunt had her _kidnapped_, and _he_ has Bella!?"

"That is the only reasonable conclusion that I can come to."

"Oh, my God! What will we tell Charlie? You know that we'll have to tell him about this, but we can't say that Edward kidnapped her. He'll never find him."

"I know. We'll have to say that she's missing. I'll call him now."

"Alright. Me and my friends will help search for Edward. Call me if anything."

"You too."

I hung up the phone and called Charlie's house. Charlie answered on the fifth ring.

"This is Chief Swan," he greeted dryly.

"Hi Charlie. This is Carlisle," I stated.

"Oh, hi Carlisle. How are you?"

"Not good. I can't find Isabella anywhere!"

There was a brief moment of silence. "What do you mean, you can't find her? Wasn't she with you?"

"No, I haven't seen her since Saturday." I didn't tell him about the text messages. I would have to delete them and put her phone back in her room before he could go in there. Otherwise, there would be some explaining to do, and I couldn't tell him anything without revealing our secret. "I also called Jacob, but he told me that he hadn't seen her since last week, and she didn't go to the party. I called her once last night, but there was no answer."

Charlie began to hyperventilate. "I don't understand! Her truck is in the driveway, and she isn't in her room! Where would she go!?" he gasped.

"I don't know, but we have to find her!" I proclaimed. "First, however, you need to calm down, Charlie."

"Okay. I'll send a few patrols to look for her."

"All right, and I'll call the hospital. Perhaps she may be there."

"You do that. I'll call you back soon." Then he hung up without saying good-bye.

I called Forks General, but there was no need for me to say that she wasn't there. Then I called Charlie back and told him that she hadn't been admitted there recently. Next, I snuck into Isabella's room and laid her cell phone on the desk after erasing the text messages.

When I returned home, my children were waiting for me. "Jasper, Alice, I need you to look south for Isabella. Emmett and Rosalie, search for her in the north and the east. I'll stay here to help Charlie. If you find her or Edward, call me right away. Do you understand?"

They nodded and ghosted out of the mansion. I drove to Charlie's place.

He answered the door when I knocked. "Hey. Did you hear from her yet?" he inquired desperately.

I shook my head. "No. I called her again, but she won't pick up her phone."

"I did too, and I heard it ringing in her bedroom. Why would she leave her phone in the house?"

"Perhaps she had forgotten to put it in her pocket; Isabella normally carries it with her. But I am here to assist you in finding her."

Charlie nodded weakly. "Thank you. I can use the help."

Thus, the search began.

**Bella's POV**

For hours, I just laid there tied to the frame, aching and sore. Edward had eventually apologized for what he did, but I ignored him.

"Bella, please, I really am sorry," he had stated morosely. "I told you before that I honestly don't want to hurt you."

"Whatever," I had muttered bitterly, gazing at the ceiling. I looked at anything but him.

He was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Do you want to eat?"

I shook my head. "No. If I eat anything, I'll probably throw it up."

"Are you sick? Nauseated?" he queried.

I curled my lip. "Yes, and it's all your fault for raping me."

"Sorry."

"Just save it."

Edward did not comment, clearly to avoid having another argument.

Neither of us spoke for a while. I could feel his eyes on me, but I still refused to even peek at him.

I was about to tell him to let me go back home again when the truck stopped. Then Edward's phone rang.

He answered it. "Hello? Oh, we're here now? Good...All right," he whispered before hanging up. He crawled over to untie me. "We're here now. Put your clothes on," he ordered softly.

"What do you mean, 'we're here'?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes in suspicion.

"At Victor's private plane," he replied.

My jaw dropped in fear and disbelief. "But...I don't want to go! Please, Edward, just let me go back! I won't tell anyone about what you and your friends did-" (This was the biggest lie of the century.) "-but _please_, just let me go home. I don't want to go to Scotland!"

Before I could blink twice, my jeans were on. "Of course you do," Edward remarked gently with a smile, putting my shirt on. "You want to travel the world with me. You know that."

"ARE YOU FUCKING DEAF, OR ARE YOU JUST STUPID!? I SAID THAT I _DON'T_ WANT TO GO! TAKE ME BACK TO FORKS, _NOW_!" I shouted.

"Whoa! Watch your language!" he declared with a chuckle, gathering up my food.

I scowled at him. "You're exasperating!" I hollered.

The door opened at that moment. "The plane's tuned up, and we're ready to go," Daniel announced.

Edward nodded at him. "Thank you. Take Bella to the plane for me while I collect the other things."

Daniel stepped into the truck and made to grab me, but I kicked and punched at him. "DON'T YOU _DARE_ TOUCH ME!"

He yanked me up into his arms and hauled me over his shoulder. I kicked and kicked until heard him cry out and felt him fall; my foot had made contact with his nuts.

"You little bitch!" he growled, clutching his privates. He tried to slap me, but Edward stopped him.

"Don't. Just get in the plane. Tell Brad and Jerry to bring the stuff in. I have her," he added.

Wincing, Daniel stumbled up the plane's stairs.

Edward picked me up, but I struggled against him. "Now...Bella...calm down!" he implored, weaving his head this way and that so I wouldn't hurt myself.

"Get off of me! Get off of me!" I screeched. "Put me down! Let me go! Take me back home, please!"

Paying no heed to me, he covered my mouth and dragged me onto the plane. He laid me down on a bed, but I continued to fight him. "Calm down! Calm down! Relax!" he commanded worriedly.

When I didn't, he looked over his shoulder. "Help me! Someone will hear her if I am unable to settle her down!"

A pair of hands held me down, and I felt something tighten on my upper arm. Then a needle was pierced into my skin.

"Ow! _Ow_! You're hurting me, you bastard!" I whimpered, trying to move away from them. Seconds later, the needle was gone. A dull pinch was all I felt until the drowsiness hit me, and I was out like a light.

(A/N: **PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW OR LEAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS YOU HAVE! ** I have to hand it to Bella; she's a fighter, a trooper!)


	3. This is NOT My Home When I Failed Her!

**Bella's POV**

_Four hours later_

"She's waking up. Heat up her breakfast in the microwave. Bella is probably starving. She hadn't eaten since last night," I heard Edward say as I regained consciousness._  
_

I wiped my eyes as a door slammed and a timer beeped. Then I sat up and turned to see Edward curled up next to me on the bed.

He smiled a little. "Hi," he greeted.

I turned away from him and didn't respond.

"Look, I apologize for sedating you, but it was necessary. I didn't want you to injure yourself. You would have harmed yourself fighting me more than you would have harmed me," he whispered.

Curling my lip, I stubbornly kept quiet.

A minute later, there was more beeping. I felt the bed shift under me before he laid a hand on my arm.

I yanked it out of his grip. "Don't fucking touch me!" I snapped.

"I was only letting you know that your pancakes are ready. Are you still hungry?" he queried.

Of course I was, even though I wasn't in the mood to eat. However, I was in no position to pass up food. Starving myself wouldn't do me any good. So, I took the carton that he offered me with reluctance and grudgingly took a bite of my pancakes.

In my peripheral vision, I noticed that Edward was staring at me with satisfaction. "Enjoy your meal, Bella, and take your time. When you are finished, you and I are going to have a talk," he remarked.

I harrumphed. "No, we won't, because I don't have shit to say," I muttered.

He sighed impatiently. "Fine. _I_ will talk, and you will listen-" he amended.

"Do you want to bet?" I challenged.

Edward buried his face in his hand and groaned. "Why do you have to make this so difficult?"

"Because I don't want to be here. I don't want to take this trip with you, no matter how much you think that I do."

"Whatever, if you say so."

I could tell that he thought that I was lying to him. Rolling my eyes in annoyance, I decided to continue eating. There was no point in arguing with Edward. He would just twist and warp everything that I said until I was half-crazy with irritation and ready to strangle somebody.

The rest of the meal passed by in thick silence. After I had drank my orange juice, I threw the empty bottle and carton away. While doing that, I peered out of a window. It was nearly sunset; the clouds beneath the plane were a deep gold color. It reminded me of Carlisle's eyes. Tears slipped down my face. I knew beyond doubt that he was wondering where I was, and what happened to me.

Edward sniffed out my tears. "What is the matter, Bella?" he asked softly.

I didn't reply, just gazed out of the window.

Footsteps approached behind me. "Bella, I asked you a question. I would appreciate it if you would give me an answer, please," he murmured.

"_I_ would appreciate it if you turned the plane around and let me go _home_," I shot back, not looking at him.

"You're funny, but that doesn't answer my question," he noted.

"Why do you care if I'm crying? You obviously weren't concerned about me when you and your connections were raping me!"

Raising an eyebrow, he crossed his arms. "Bella, I'm not doing this with you. Just tell me what's wrong."

I stormed away from him. "No! Leave me alone and turn this fucking plane around!"

Growling lowly, he said, "You know deep down inside that that's not what you want me to do. Now, come sit on the bed with me, so that we can talk."

"Didn't you hear what I told you a few minutes ago? I'm not talking to you!"

"You are right now."

"Well, I'm done speaking to you as of this moment, then," I grumbled, and pursed my lips tightly.

Edward chortled and shook his head at me. "Always so stubborn," he laughed. He tried to kiss my forehead, but I wouldn't let him. He rolled his eyes, lifted me up, and plopped me on the bed. I went to stand up, but he held me in place.

"Bella, hear me out for a moment. I won't be long, trust me," he assured.

I did not comment, or even look at him.

He took my silence as his cue to go on. "I just want to let you know that we won't be in Newton Mearns for a little more than five and a half hours. When we arrive there, _do not scream or make any noises_. Just get in the rental car and _be quiet_. I don't want any problems, and if I have to gag you, you know that I will do so without hesitation. When we get to my house, I will go over several more things with you. Do you understand me?" he inquired.

My mouth remained shut. I didn't move or give any indication that I had heard him.

"...Do you understand me?" he repeated with a sharp edge to his voice.

I said nothing.

Abruptly, Edward yanked me up by my shirt collar. "Bella, I have had enough of this childishness! When I ask a question, I don't like waiting for a reply. I know that you are upset with me, but you need to get over it! We are going to be living together, and I will not tolerate you disrespecting me, so you had better cut the bullshit!" he yelled in my face.

I glared at him. "Who the hell do you think you are? You have no right to tell me what to do! I am not an animal or a piece of property, and you do not own me!" I retorted.

He narrowed his eyes. "But you are my mate, so you belong to me. You are going treat me with the respect that I deserve."

I huffed. "I _am_ treating you with the respect that you deserve, which is _none_, you psychopathic rapist!" And I spat in his face.

Edward growled and head-butted me. I clutched my forehead in my hands as he slung me onto the bed.

"_You bitch! Did I not warn you about what would happen if you did that again!?_" he shouted.

And without further ado, he started to beat me. I cried out in pain and begged for him to stop, telling him repeatedly that I was sorry. When he finally did, I was aching all over, and I could hardly move. The pain was that terrible. I was astonished that he didn't break any of my bones or hit me in the face (after head-butting me, I mean) or throw up my dinner.

Edward glowered at me as I trembled with sobs. "You more than deserved that. _Never_ spit on me again, or I will rape you in addition to beating you. Do you understand?" he hissed.

I nodded weakly, moaning in agony.

He gave me a dirty look. "Good," he sneered.

Next, I heard Brad's voice. "I don't think that you should have beaten her _that_ badly, Mr. Cullen. If someone sees her, how will we explain those bruises?" he questioned.

Edward turned to his right. "The point of the matter is is that no one is going to see her at all, so you can stop worrying about what doesn't concern you. This situation is between me and her. Mind your own business!" he ordered rudely.

"Whatever you say, Mr. Cullen," Brad mumbled.

Closing his eyes, Edward took a deep breath. "Look, Brad, I apologize. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's cool, boss. I forgive you."

He returned his attention to me. "Baby, I'm sorry for losing my temper and harming you. And I did not mean to threaten you. I just don't like it when someone spits on me. It makes me furious, but it does not mean that I have a right to hit you for it, especially since I am your soul mate. Please forgive me." He bent over and kissed my forehead, arms, stomach, and legs. I tried to roll away from him, but I was still hurting. "I'll make it up to you. I promise I will."

This boy had more mood swings than I did on my time of the month. It was no wonder that he wasn't my mate.

Scowling fiercely at him, I whispered, "Get away from me. I hate you. I will never forgive you for this."

Rubbing my hair, he assured, "Yes, you will, Bella. You and I both know that you do not hate me, and cannot hold a grudge for long."

Oh, I could, depending on what I was upset about.

"We'll see," I threatened, managing to turn away from him. I wished that I hadn't done that, however. A fresh wave of pain shot up the right side of my body.

"Do you want some ice packs for your bruises?" he queried in concern. "They will help."

"Gee, thanks," I muttered sarcastically.

A minute later, Edward turned me around and placed them on my arms, stomach, and legs. "Here. I'm sorry," he repeated.

I curled my lips. If he was honestly that remorseful, then why did he do the things that he threatened to do when I "disobeyed" him? Why should I accept his apology?

**Carlisle's POV**

_Same moment, different time (8:35pm)_

By now, I was a complete wreck. No one had found Isabella as of yet, neither my children or the patrols. Jacob did not have any leads on her either, but promised to call me back if he did.

"My friends are helping too," he had added. "We _are_ going to find her, Carlisle."

"Thank you, Jacob. I am grateful to you," I murmured before saying good-bye and hanging up.

In the meantime, I had also contacted the Denalis and asked if they could help us in our search.

"Of course, we can, Carlisle. It won't be a problem," Eleazar implied when I had filled him in on the situation. "We'll take the next available flight out."

"All right, I will see you later then. And thank you. I owe you one," I remarked.

He laughed faintly. "Don't worry about that, I don't mind helping you. We'll be in Forks soon. Good-bye."

I sighed deeply. "Good-bye."

Charlie's state was just as bad as mine. His face was gray and drawn, and his hair was disheveled. There were creases and wrinkles on his clothes. I knew that looked almost the same as he did. He had been on the phone for hours, begging other policemen from other counties and cities in the Washington to assist him in looking for Isabella. He had also called his ex-wife Renée to tell her what happened. She wanted to come to Forks, but Charlie convinced her to remain in Jacksonville. Nevertheless, she would call for an update every two or three hours.

Charlie wanted to go find her himself, but I told him that he was not in the condition to do so at the moment. He was too stressed out. There were many times throughout the day when I was afraid that he would have a heart attack. He wasn't young anymore. I felt obligated to stay with him in case he did, or if he made any rash decisions.

"But I _need_ to do this!" he protested on one occasion.

I refused to let up. "I am sorry, Charlie, but I cannot allow you to risk your health any more than you have already. Isabella wouldn't have wanted that, and if something happened to _you_, I know without a doubt that she would blame herself for it. She would never forgive herself either, even if she knew that it wasn't her fault."

He buried his face in his hands and drooped into his seat.

I groaned and patted his shoulder. "Everything is going to be fine, Charlie. She has to be somewhere; she couldn't have just disappeared off of the face of the earth, you know," I pointed out reassuringly.

"What if she had, though? What if we never find her? What if I never see my baby girl again?" he demanded in anguish.

My heart constricted at the thought. "Do not say things like that, Charlie. Isabella _will_ turn up eventually. She will. You just have to hope and pray that she does," I whispered.

"I know that, but I can't rest until I look for her myself," he moaned tiredly.

"I understand how you feel, believe me I do, but you need to relax. All of this stress isn't good for your heart. Besides, it is not as if we were the only ones looking for Isabella. Just about every police station in Washington is helping you, and so are my children. When I told them that she was missing, they hopped into their cars and left without me saying anything else. In addition to that, I contacted my cousins in Alaska, and they agreed to come here to Forks and aid us in our search. They should be here in about seven or eight hours, at the most."

Charlie bobbed his head. "That is very kind of them. I will have to give them my thanks when I meet them."

After a few hours, I decided to go back home to wait for Eleazar and the others. I gave Charlie strict orders to remain at his house, at least until tomorrow afternoon, and to call me if he had an emergency before leaving. He inclined to do so reluctantly.

When I had arrived at the mansion, I headed for my office and slumped into my chair behind the desk. I was furious, saddened, and emotionally drained. Why would Edward kidnap Isabella and take her away from me? He wasn't harming her, was he? I prayed that she was all right.

This was my fault. Entirely my fault. If I had gone to Isabella when she had told me that something had happened, Edward wouldn't have taken her away. I wouldn't have let him do that.

Speaking of which, I began to ask myself what she had texted me for. Did it have something to do with Edward? Had he come to her and threatened her in some way? Did he hurt her? More questions raced through my brain, questions that wouldn't be answered until I was reunited with Isabella.

I didn't know how long I sat there and stayed in my head, but the next thing I knew, my cell phone rang. Rosalie was calling.

"Hi sweetie. Any luck?" I inquired as soon as I answered the phone.

There was a sigh. "Carlisle," she began heavily. "We looked all over for Bella, and we finally smelled her scent near Winnipeg."

I let out a deep breath. "Oh, thank God. Do you have her? Is she okay? Is she hurt?" I queried.

Silence, then: "I don't know," she mumbled.

Blinking, I demanded, "What do you mean you don't know?"

"Just what I said. I don't know. We smelled her scent in a reserved airfield...along with Edward's...and four other men's. Emmett and I tried to find out where they were going, but we don't have a clue. There are no recent records of where they are traveling to. Plus, the information on the plane is either missing, lost, or destroyed. We can't find it anywhere. I called Alice, but she can't see them or where they will end up, which could be anywhere since we don't have any leads."

I was mute with rage and despair. Why was this happening? To me? To Charlie and my whole family? And most importantly, to Isabella? She did not deserve to go through this. She had one of most purest, caring, loving souls in the world. How could Edward try to break it? In addition to that, who were the four men? Were they joining him in terrorizing Isabella, if that was what he was doing? My heart broke at the thought of it. I couldn't believe that he was taking my one true love so far away from me. And how was she going to cope without me? She needed me, and I needed her.

"...Dad? We are sorry that we didn't make it to her in time, but we _will_ find her. I don't know when exactly, but trust me, we are. You know that we will search for her all over the world in we had to," she stated.

"Yes, I know that," I croaked, gulping thickly to swallow back the tears that welled in my eyes.

Rosalie must have noticed that I was attempting not to cry. "It's going to be okay, Daddy. It really will," she comforted.

"Thank you, my dear," I whispered, my lip trembling. "If you find out anything else on your way back, let me know right away. Oh, and I called the Denalis..."

"I know. Alice told me everything. We'll be home soon, and after a few days, Emmett and I are going to search for Bella again. We will be there early tomorrow morning."

"All right. I love you, and thanks for doing this for me. I don't know what I would do without you, Emmett, and your siblings."

She chuckled a little. "Aww, thank you Daddy. It's no trouble. I love you too. Call me."

"I will. Good-bye, Rosalie."

"Bye, Dad. Emmett sends his love."

I grinned faintly. "I return his with mine."

"Ha ha. Okay. Bye."

"Bye, sweetie."

I hung up and rubbed my palm over my face. I tried to hold on to the hope that Isabella was all right, but it was starting to fade with each passing minute. If something had happened to her...if something _is_ happening to her now...I don't know if I would ever quite have the ability to get passed it. I was also certain that I would never forgive myself if she was hurting. I was her soul mate, one of my duties was to protect her, and I failed her.

When I had come to this realization, I laid my head in my arms and wept bitterly.

**Bella's POV**

_Three hours later (8:55am in Scotland)_**  
**

Edward lifted me off of the bed and sat me down in a chair. "We are about to land in a few minutes," he explained as I was about to protest. He put my seat belt on, then made himself comfortable in another chair.

I drooped into my seat, wanting to argue with him, but I didn't have the ability to. My body was aching all over, and talking made the pain worse. I couldn't stop the tears from rolling down my face as the airplane began to descend. I wanted to be heading home, not going to Scotland.

"Don't cry, love. I know that you miss Charlie and the others, but we will go back to Forks soon. I promise," Edward vowed.

"I am _not_ your love," I muttered tearfully.

He sighed, but chose not to say anything. He just tapped his fingers on the armrest.

It wasn't long before the plane landed with a thump. When it had stopped minutes later, everyone gathered their things.

After throwing a book bag on his back, Edward unbuckled me and made me stand. He pulled out a strip of black cloth and gagged me. "This is just a precaution, in case you decide that you want to make noise," he remarked, not in an unkind way. Then he scooped me up in his arms and carried me outside.

We were in a private airfield. I glanced around, taking in my surroundings. There was no one here, other than our little group. I had to admit, the landscape in Newton Mearns was beautiful. Nevertheless, I knew that I was going to hate it here.

Edward strolled over to a dusty, maroon van that was parked outside of the gate. Victor opened the back door for him. Edward climbed in along with Daniel and Jerry. Brad was going to sit in the front with Victor. Everyone laid their bags on the right side of the cab. Then Victor closed the door, and within seconds, the van was moving.

On the way to wherever the fuck we were going, Daniel and Jerry kept eyeing me. Shifting uncomfortably, I wrapped my arms around my legs and buried my face in my knees. If I had the strength to yell or cause a raucous, I would.

"Mr. Cullen?" Daniel murmured.

"Yes?" Edward replied.

I didn't hear Daniel say anything else, but Edward proclaimed, "Not now. Later, but not now."

Daniel groaned, but made no further complaints.

I scowled. What the hell was Edward doing!? Was he pimping me out to his friends!?

"Stahph that!" I hissed. ("Stop that!")

"What Bella?" Edward inquired.

I rose my head and glared at him. "_I said stahph that! I am not yoorf fucking seth slafe!_" I half-bellowed, wincing at the pain that erupted from my stomach. ("I said stop that! I'm not your fucking sex slave!")

He pressed a finger to his lips. "Shh. Quiet down. Do you want someone to hear you?"

I nodded defiantly. "Yeth, I damn well doof!"

Smirking, he leaned over to kiss my forehead, but I jerked away.

"I'm nahf kidding, Efward Masen!"

"Sure, you aren't."

"Canf yoof just turn the van around and lef me goh home?" ("Can you just turn the van around and let me go home?")

"No. It is too late now. You're staying with me."

Moaning with anguish and frustration, I slumped onto the wall.

The remainder of the trip was not long, only another ten to fifteen minutes. I was not certain. Newton Mearns was obviously a small town like Forks if we had arrived at our destination so quickly. The van came to a halt, and Brad and Victor opened the back door. Everyone picked up their bags again, and Edward took me in his arms.

Now, we were in a secluded parking lot near a forest trail. Edward covered my mouth with his hand before ambling up the path, which zigzagged up to a high (but not that high) rocky cliff. He placed me in Jerry arms.

"Hold her for me while I climb up there," he ordered. Without another word, he did so rapidly. Not in vampire speed, but fast in human standards.

Jerry grinned at me. "You are lucky to have a boyfriend who is an expert mountaineer. He doesn't even need picks," he stated.

I frowned at him malevolently. "He's _not_ my damn boyfriend!" I shouted.

He grunted as a rope plummeted over the top of the cliff. Edward came down and put me on his back.

"We are going up first. Hold on tight and don't let go," he instructed.

Knowing that there was nothing that I could do but listen to him (since he or his connections would catch me if I tried to run), I grudgingly acquiesced. Being careful not to put too much of his weight on the rope, Edward mounted up the cliff side. Brad, Daniel, Jerry, and Victor followed us.

They readjusted their luggage before we headed up another trail. The woods were silent. I thought of screaming at the top of my lungs, but Edward was carrying me bridal style, and his hand was clamped over my mouth again. My stomach was still hurting too much anyways.

A few minutes later, the trees began to thin and we were soon in a clearing. In the middle of it was a house. It was painted sky blue, with white shutters and navy-blue eaves. It also had two floors, with ten windows-five downstairs, five upstairs-on the side that faced us. It looked old, but well-kept.

When we had stopped before a door, Brad took out his key and unlocked it. As we stepped into the mansion, I looked around. We were in the kitchen. The walls were brown, and so was the table and the countertops. Edward flicked on a light, and I jumped, startled. The house had electricity!

"You may leave us now," Edward declared. "I am just going to show Bella to our room-"

_Our room!?_ There was no way that I was sharing a room with him! He was out of his fucking mind!

"-and have a word with her. There is something important I have to speak to her about. Victor, have breakfast ready within the next hour, please. Come on, baby. Let's go."

When I didn't move, he lifted me and walked up a staircase that was in a huge parlor. At the landing, he turned in the opposite direction, then entered a room at the back end of the hall. After that, he put me down and opened his arms wide.

"Welcome to your new home!" he announced.

I clenched my teeth. "This is NOT my home!" I yelled. "I can't believe that you kidnapped me, and flew me all the way around the world to bring me to this shithole! I don't want to be here, and I am NOT sleeping in this room with you! I want my own! There are plenty here, let me have one!"

"Relax, Bella. I'll show you around." He pulled me over to a wooden drawer on the other side of the room. "Your new clothes are in here. Don't worry, I made Tanya pick out that kind of outfits that you like..."

"_Tanya_!? She's here!?"

"Yes, she brings animal blood to me. She has a small cottage in another clearing a few feet from here. As I was saying, she bought the type of clothes that you like. T-shirts and jeans. There are also nightgowns. She even purchased your underwear and some lingerie."

I felt embarrassed and sick. "Lingerie!? What for!?" I demanded in revulsion.

Edward blinked. "For you to please me with," he replied as if that should have been obvious.

Okay, I was seriously about to throw up just thinking about it. "Bullshit. I won't wear them. There is no way in hell I will," I grumbled.

Laughing loudly, he crooned, "Yes, you will, when you're not mad at me. Now. There are a few things that I had to tell you. First, do not leave this house by yourself. You will only get lost, and I don't want an animal to attack you..."

As if a group of them haven't already.

"...If you want to go anywhere, you will have to let me know. Second, if I need or want you for anything, I would appreciate it if you came to me immediately. I don't want to have to wait for you. We will have breakfast at 10:30am, lunch at 2:00pm, and dinner at 6:30pm. You can have dessert any time after that. Try not to be late for any of your meals. I don't want you to starve. Do you understand?"

"Whatever." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Tanya may visit one or two days out of the week. I will let you know in case you need her help with anything."

"I'm not going to ask her for shit."

"Enough, Bella. If you get hurt, just tell Brad. He is a doctor, and I am sure that he will give you what you need."

I flared my nostrils, but did not make any comments.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "Baby, try to be a little more cooperative. You are staying here with me for at least three to five months. We will have to get along somehow," he pointed out.

Snorting, I implied, "I will get along with you if you let me have my own room and leave me alone."

He trailed a finger along my cheek. "That is not what you want. I know that you are happy that we are sharing a room together, even if you're too stubborn and upset to admit it. You and I are going to have some fun times in here."

My jaw dropped in disgust. "Edward, have you lost your mind!? I don't understand you anymore! I don't want to have sex with you, and I don't understand how you can think that I take pleasure in you raping me!" I screamed.

"I only raped you once! But that was because you provoked me! You asked for it!" he retorted.

"Once, my ass! You raped me _three times_, which includes the time when I said that you raped me, and you snapped. Furthermore, no one asks to be raped! _I hate you for what you did to me_! You are nothing but a MONSTER!" I bellowed.

Suddenly, he yanked me up by the arms. "Repeat that! Go on...repeat that! I _will_ be a monster!" he growled.

I winced as pain surged through my already aching limbs. "I won't. I'm sorry," I cried, not desiring to be beaten or raped again. I knew that I wouldn't be able to endure it. "I'm sorry. I won't do it. I'm sorry."

"You better be," he snarled. "I have had enough of you arguing with me. It is tedious and irritating. As I had said to you earlier, _cut the bullshit_! Now...go take a shower and come downstairs for breakfast. And no procrastinating. I do not want to dress you myself and by force. Our bathroom is through that door." He pointed to a door on the our right, which was on the other door's left.

I nodded weakly and he shoved me away, causing me to lose my footing a little. I quickly grabbed a pile of clothes out of the drawer and headed in the shower. I didn't want to fuel his temper any more than I had just then. Tears streamed down my cheeks as the warm water pelted onto me, soothing the many bruises I had. Once more, I couldn't believe that this was happening to me. I wanted to go home. I wanted and needed Carlisle, and I missed him so much. And I wouldn't be able to see him for a very long time. It was so unfair.

However, I would try not to let this place depress me too much. Knowing him, Carlisle was already searching for me. I would wait for him to find me no matter how long it took. I didn't care how long it would be. Still, thinking about the months ahead in this prison, I couldn't help but choke out of sob of despair, fright, and loneliness.

This was going to be a long three to five months, if Edward was being truthful about going back home by then. A very long, painful, agonizing, sorrowful three to five months.

(A/N: Well, I hope that you enjoyed that. I will post another chapter of We Have Each Other by next Sunday or Monday at the latest. **PLEASE REVIEW**! And the more reviews I get, the quicker I will update if I don't run into too many writer's blocks. Thank you for reading! Happy Holidays!)


	4. I Am Pimped Out While Charlie Meets Kate

**Bella's POV**

_Fifteen minutes later_**  
**

Once I had taken my shower, I dressed rapidly before going down to the kitchen. Edward and his friends glanced at me as I entered the room. He was sitting at the right end of the table. Jerry was diagonally across from his to his left. Daniel was sitting beside him, and Brad was on the other side, a seat away from Edward. The aroma of eggs, sausage, and fried potatoes wafted through the air.

He nodded at a chair that was diagonally across from him to his right. "Sit here, please," he requested with a smile.

_**Now** he wants to be polite_, I thought with a deep frown. I didn't want to be anywhere near him. However, because I didn't want to get into an argument which would lead to a beating or a raping, I obeyed him with little grace. I kept my eyes lowered to prevent myself from making eye contact with anyone.

Edward rubbed my left arm. "I hope that you are hungry. Victor is making a feast for us," he announced.

I did not comment, just stiffened and glowered at the table. He moved his hand away and thankfully let me be.

For the most part, everyone was quiet as Victor finished cooking our meal. He laid a plate filled with food before me, then gave everyone else their breakfast. I did not thank him. I only stared at my food until Edward nudged my foot under the table. I jumped and scowled at him, shooting him a "what the hell is it _now_?" look.

"You are not eating, Bella. You need to eat, or else your food will get cold, and you will have to reheat it," he mumbled.

Without responding to him, I picked up my fork and reluctantly took a bite of my sausages. He beamed at me as I ate mechanically, not tasting anything, not looking at the others.

"Bella, what is the matter?" Edward queried. "Did I hurt your arms earlier?"

I inclined my head, deciding to be partly truthful. It wasn't as if he didn't, after all.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it, my temper just caught up with me again."

I rolled my eyes, but he didn't see it.

"...Are you not going to accept my apology?"

Shaking my head, I continued to eat.

"Why not? Are you still upset with me?"

I nodded.

"Don't worry, I promise that I'll make it up to you. You know that I love you, do you not?"

I shrugged. I really did not know. If he truly did, then he had an odd, rude, and painful way of showing it.

"Well, I do. You have no idea how much, and I know that you love me too."

I _did_ before he cheated on me, and before I found out that he wasn't my soul mate.

"Come on, Bella. Talk to me!" he pleaded.

"No. I don't have anything to say to you, other than this," I grumbled.

"Bella, please. I really _am_ sorry," he stated.

_Maybe_ he was. Just maybe, but I didn't believe him. Edward had obviously saw this because a tense silence followed. I was just happy that he had stopped going off at the mouth for once.

The rest of the meal went by quietly. Hardly a word was said. Pretty soon, everybody was done eating and Victor laid the plates, forks, and cups in the dishwasher. The others stood and whispered amongst themselves. I did not move, but remained in my chair, seething with hatred.

A few minutes later, the whispers grew louder, more excited. I looked up to see Edward talking to Daniel, glancing at me occasionally. Then he turned and beckoned for me to come to him. Not wanting to cause trouble, I did so warily. What was going on now?

Edward placed a hand on my back. "Step into the parlor with me for a bit," he murmured.

I followed him reluctantly, but did not speak.

When we were in the aforementioned room, he turned to me. "Bella, I need you to do me a favor, please," he whispered.

I quirked an eyebrow skeptically, and he continued.

"Daniel and my other friends need your help with something, and I would be thankful if you can give them what they need," he remarked.

My jaw dropped in fear when I understood what he meant. I backed away from him, shaking my head. "N-No! Edward, p-please no!" I cried.

"Bella, please do this for me. I am going to be in the same room to make sure that they don't hurt you," he assured, as if that would make me feel better.

"NO!" I repeated.

Sighing wearily, Edward picked me up and lugged me up to his bedroom. He wrapped his arms around mine so that I wouldn't hit him. Then he set me down before ghosting over to my dresser. He rummaged around in it before yanking out a black and white corset with black stockings, a black thong, and a garter belt. "Put this on," he commanded, offering them to me

I crossed my arms defiantly. "No," I said once more.

He growled lowly, and before I knew it, my clothes were off. Then he put the lingerie on so fast that I couldn't stop him.

"Edward, please! I don't want to do this!" I begged.

Narrowing his eyes at me-not in anger, but in confusion-he inquired, "Are you scared of them? If you are, don't be. I know that they hurt you before, but they will never do that again. I understand that you don't want me to share you, and that you only want me, but they need you to take care of their needs."

_What the fuck was he talking about?!_ Did he not see that I didn't want him _yet_, or his friends, for that matter?! "They need me?! Haven't they heard of jerking off?" I demanded in incredulity.

He howled with laughter. "Of course they have! But masturbating is not as good as the real thing. Now, let's go. Daniel needs you first."

"No! Hell no! I'm not helping your friends with _shit_! Why don't they just ask Tanya to fuck them?!"

"Because you are warmer than she is. Come on, please."

"NO!"

Edward snarled and pulled me out of the room by my hair.

I winced as he yanked me down the hall. "Edward, let go! You're hurting me!"

He released me, but tugged me over to a door by the arm. "I'm sorry. I said that he won't hurt you, and you have to believe that." He opened it and I was dragged into the room. "Oh good, you have your condom on." He said this to Daniel as he pushed me forward. "Go on, Bella. I'll just be sitting in the corner. Just do whatever he tells you, and everything will be all right. Go on."

Swallowing thickly, I walked over to Daniel to avoid a beating. I kept my blurry eyes on the floor. I hated myself for not arguing, and for being so weak, but I was frightened. I didn't want Edward or Daniel to hurt me more than they already had.

Daniel grabbed me and threw me onto his bed. "You look sexy. Are you ready for me?" he questioned, hovering over me. He ripped off my thong and positioned himself at my entrance. Then he held me down by my wrists with one hand.

I wanted to say no, but that would have made him and Edward angry. "Just get it over with, please," I croaked, not looking at him. I just wanted him to be done quickly.

"Eager, are we? That's the spirit! I will be more than delighted to give you what you wish," he murmured.

Then he shoved himself into me, and I cried out in agony. Tears rolled down my cheeks as he covered my mouth and thrusted into me over and over. The pain was horrible.

"Not so rough. She's crying. You're hurting her," Edward declared.

Daniel peeked over his shoulder. "My apologies, boss." He slowed his movements a little, but it did not help. "That better?" he asked me.

I glanced at Edward fearfully, then nodded. "Yeth."

"It feels good now?"

I had to lie, as much as it killed me to do so. "...Y-Yeth."

"Perfect."

He buried his face in the crook of my neck and went on until he reached his orgasm. Then he allowed me to stand up. I did after putting my thong back on.

Edward smiled at me. "Now, that wasn't so difficult, was it?" he inquired.

It was more difficult than he would ever believe that it was. I waved this thought aside and did not respond.

He took my silence as a no. "Well, come on then. Victor is expecting you," he announced.

When I opened my mouth to argue, his eyes hardened, so I closed it. There was nothing that I could do except follow him to another room.

**Carlisle's POV**

_9:27am in Forks_**  
**

My children had long since returned home. Neither Alice nor Jasper had found Isabella, much to my disappointment. However, like Emmett and Rosalie, they planned to search for her again.

At the moment, we were all in the family room. The Denalis had arrived in Seattle a couple of minutes before, and they would be here in seconds. They had chosen to run here instead of renting a vehicle.

Jasper bolted up from his chair. "They're here," he announced.

I heard the footfalls and stood up too. My children and I went downstairs to meet Eleazar and his family. They zipped out of the trees just as I had reached the door. The coven seemed a little bare without Tanya.

"Hello, Carlisle," Eleazar greeted as he entered the mansion.

I thumped him on the shoulder. "Hello, Eleazar," I returned. "Carmen, Irina, Kate," I added, hugging them. Then they embraced Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie. "I am grateful to you for coming, and so are my children."

"As I said to you before, Carlisle, it is not a problem. We are glad to help you. It is a pity what Edward did to Bella," Eleazar remarked, shaking his head.

Kate turned to me. "Are we going to her father's house now?" she inquired.

I said no. "Not until eleven thirty. He needs a chance to wake up if he hasn't already, take a shower, and eat breakfast," I pointed out.

She nodded in understanding.

For the time being, my family and I caught up with the Denalis. We hadn't talked much since Isabella and Edward's engagement party, and since Rosalie had called to tell them that Isabella and I were soul mates.

When it was eleven twenty, everyone drove to Charlie's house. I took Eleazar and Carmen in my Mercedes while Kate and Irina rode with Alice and Jasper.

Ten minutes later, we were parking in Charlie's driveway. Everybody stepped out of the cars and walked over to the house. I knocked on the door, and Charlie opened it a few minutes later.

It was plain to see that he did not get any sleep, or only acquired a little bit of it. His eyes were red, and there were shadows underneath them. His hair was tousled and so were his clothes. There was no question that it had been a rough night for him.

"Good morning, Charlie," I stated.

"Hey," he mumbled. He leaned to the side. "Are these your cousins?"

"Yes," I replied.

Charlie inclined his head and threw his arm out behind him. "You can all come in, sit down, and make yourselves comfortable. Do you have any news on Bella?"

I shook my head dolefully as we trudged into the living room. "I am certain that we will soon or later though. Oh, and before we talk, I would like to introduce you to cousins." I gestured to Eleazar and Carmen, and they walked up to me. "Carlisle, this is my cousin Eleazar, and his wife Carmen. Eleazar, Carmen, this is Isabella's father, Police Chief Charlie Swan."

Eleazar grasped his hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Chief Swan," he declared.

Carmen took it next. "Hello, Chief Swan. It's nice to meet you," she added.

"You too," Charlie grunted.

After that, I motioned for Irina and Kate to stand beside me. "This is my other cousin, Irina."

Irina nodded. "Hello."

Charlie bobbed his head in return. "Hi there."

"And this is Kate, who is also my cousin," I concluded.

Kate sauntered forward and held her hand out when she paused. Her mouth was half open.

Frowning, I gazed at Charlie and noticed that he had frozen too. He stared at Kate in rapture, as if he had seen heaven. Kate's expression mirrored his.

Then she blinked, visibly collecting herself. "Sorry. M-My name is Kate. I am pleased to meet you, Chief Swan," she murmured.

Charlie reached out to shake her hand. They both jumped as if they had been shocked. "I'm pleased to meet you too. You can call me Charlie," he noted.

"Sure. Thank you, Charlie. You may call me Katrina, if you like. It is my real name," she uttered.

"Katrina. That's a pretty name."

"Thank you." If Kate could have blushed, she would have been doing so right then.

After she had said this, Kate let his hand go (reluctantly, it seemed) and everybody sat down. Because there were ten of us, my children plopped down onto the floor while Eleazar and Carmen made themselves comfortable on the loveseat. Kate, Irina and I took the sofa.

Charlie drooped onto his recliner. "First," he began. "I would like to thank you all for helping me look for my daughter. You have no idea of how much it means to me."

We smiled and told him that he was welcome. "Glad to help," Kate added.

Alice and Jasper eyed her with amusement.

"So how are you going to do this? Search for Bella, I mean?" Charlie questioned.

I leaned forward. "Well, Alice and Jasper are planning to drive all over the state and Idaho, while Emmett and Rosalie will look for her in Oregon and California. My cousins agreed to see if they could find her anywhere in Western Canada. I will remain here in Forks to help you," I declared.

"That sounds like a good idea. None of this will be too much trouble for you, will it?" he queried.

"No, of course not," I remarked while everyone else shook their heads.

"Are you certain? I don't want to..." Charlie was unsure.

Isabella was more like him than I thought. "Don't worry about it, Charlie, it really is no problem at all."

When he saw that I meant it, he sighed and nodded. "Thank you," he repeated.

"It's fine, Charlie," I stated.

We talked for a bit and the Denalis spoke to Charlie so that they could get to know each other. Kate asked him more questions than anyone else, and he was eager to reply to them. It astonished me because Charlie was not a loquacious person. He was as quiet as Isabella was after him, and was irritated when someone asked him a certain amount of questions. But not today, it seemed.

After some time, Eleazar and the others prepared to go. "We have to get going if we are going to Canada. I will call you, Carlisle, if we find Bella," he proclaimed.

I bobbed my head at him. "Thank you. Please do," I said.

Kate glanced at Charlie with uncertainty, as if she did not want to leave. Alice and Jasper smirked.

I frowned at them. "What is it?" I whispered so that Charlie would not hear me.

"She wants to stay," Alice responded in a low voice.

"Do you think that that would be a good idea?" I inquired hesitantly.

To my immense shock, she replied, "Yes. Kate won't do Charlie any harm. Actually, if she remained here, it would help him tremendously. Trust me. I've seen it." She then smiled at Kate. "Go ahead and ask him. He won't mind."

Kate bit her lip nervously as she turned to Charlie. "Uh...Charlie?" she murmured.

He looked up. "Yes, Katrina?" he asked.

I fought the urge to laugh.

"May...may I stay here with you and Carlisle, please? I would like to help you both."

A tiny grin lit up his dismal expression. "Sure. I would like that."

Kate shot Eleazar, Carmen, and Irina an apologetic look. "I am sorry."

Eleazar waved his hand. "It is all right, Kate. We will be fine. Call us if anything."

"I will. You too."

"You know that we will."

My children stood up. "We had better get going too. We have to pack some clothes. Our trips in the state, Idaho, Oregon, and California will take several days, maybe weeks. Once everything is ready, we're leaving," Rosalie declared.

I nodded. "Well, if I am here when you do, don't forget to come over so that I can say good-bye to you, okay?" I inquired.

"Okay. See you later, Pops. Call us," Emmett added, punching my arm lightly.

"I will. Good-bye, kids, Eleazar, Irina, Carmen."

Everyone but Charlie hugged one another before they left the house. When they were gone, the living room was quiet. It seemed as if neither Charlie, Kate or I could find anything to talk about.

Finally, Kate cleared her throat. "Charlie, you look hungry. Have you eaten at all today?" she asked in a worried voice.

Charlie bowed his head. "No. I haven't had an appetite every since I found out that Bella is missing, and that was yesterday morning," he mumbled.

She looked sympathetic. "Well, you ought to eat," she pointed out.

"Yes," I agreed. "You need your strength. Isabella wouldn't like it if you starved yourself, and I wouldn't either."

"Would you like me to fix you something? If you look like you're going to fall out if you stand up," Kate noted, teasing him a little.

Charlie snickered. "Uh...okay, I guess, if you want. But you don't have to..."

Kate cut him off. "It would be my pleasure. Now, you just sit there and try to keep calm. I'll whip up a nice meal for you."

She headed for the kitchen.

He turned to me. "Your cousin is really nice," he commented.

I nodded. "Yes, she is. It's a wonder that she's single."

Then I mentally facepalmed. Why did I say that?

Charlie blinked in surprise. "Really? It _is_ a wonder. Anyone would be lucky to have her."

"Mmm." I agreed with him.

The silence that followed was awkward.

**Bella's POV**

_1:30pm in Newton Mearns_

After more than an hour of being used as nothing better than a sex doll by Edward's friends, I was allowed to go take a shower. Wanting to rid myself of the feelings of their hands and bodies on mine, I did so with joy. I felt so slimy and disgusting. Unfortunately, I was unable to, even when I had practically scrubbed myself raw.

I redressed and tried to make myself as presentable as I could, but it was hard to with the bruises on my face. Covering them with my hair was impossible unless I stared at the floor. Out of exasperation, I gave up, throwing my brush on the dresser.

Who was I kidding? Here, in this jail, I was nothing, other than a mute whore. No one cared about me or what I thought. It was obvious that the only thing that Edward's friends wanted from me was sexual relief. What was the point in looking good to them, to Edward? All of the designer clothes and lingerie in the world could not erase the bruises I had. And even if they were visible, they didn't see them. Well, Brad did for a while. However, after we came here, he just ignored them.

If it weren't for Carlisle, I would have been feeling very worthless at the moment. Still, I almost did. My most prominent emotions, though, were shame, rage, and fear. Not to mention despair and hatred. Hatred for Edward, his friends, and myself. I hated me for not fighting back, no matter what the consequences would have been, and for being too scared to do it. Then again, I didn't want Edward's friends to hurt me more than they did as they were holding me down and raping me earlier.

Edward had told them off for being rough with me, but why could he not see that I didn't want to "help" them. He said that he loved me, but if he did, he wouldn't have forced me to do that at all.

The worse part of it was that I had to endure this for three to five months. Or at least until Carlisle had found me, and I didn't know how long that would take. I did not know how I would get through them without ending up in a mental institution.

Just thinking about it made me cry. I laid down on the bed and wept, curling myself into a ball. Edward heard me, as usual, and dashed into the room.

"What is wrong, baby?" he queried.

I was sobbing too hard to answer him, not that I was planning to.

"Bella? What is wrong?" he repeated.

I still didn't reply.

"Are you hurt? Did my friends hurt you? Were they too harsh on you?" he demanded gently.

I nodded. That was kind of the truth.

Suddenly, he left the room. I didn't know why he did until I heard him yelling at his pals downstairs.

"DIDN'T I TELL YOU NOT TO BE SO ROUGH?! SHE IS IN PAIN BECAUSE OF YOU!" he hollered.

They quickly apologized, and Edward returned to the bedroom.

I shifted and glared at him. "It wasn't just your friends. You hurt me too," I murmured.

He looked concerned. "I did? What do you mean?" he questioned.

Unfolding myself, I stormed over to him. "You practically pimped me out to your friends without my consent, Edward! How could you do that to me? It makes me wonder if you even care for me anymore. The Edward I knew would never do this to someone, especially if he loved them. What happened to him?" I wailed.

Edward reached out to caress my cheek, but I stepped away from him. "Bella, listen. The Edward that you know is still here," he responded, tapping his chest.

I shook my head in grief and misery. "No, he's not. If he was, he wouldn't have raped or kidnapped me against my will. He wouldn't have had me gang-raped as a punishment either, pimp me out to his friends, or hit or choke me. The Edward I knew is dead. He's dead. I don't know who _you_ are, or if this is what he truly is. But I hate you, with every fiber of my being, and I always will."

Edward cocked his eyebrow in warning, but I paid no attention to him.

"_Don't_ touch me. I will share this room with you, and do whatever you tell me because I have no choice. If I refuse to, you'll just hurt me. Just don't touch me ever again. When I go to bed at night, I want you to stay as far away from me as possible," I growled lowly.

"Lunch is ready!" Victor bellowed from downstairs.

Rolling his eyes at me in indifference, Edward turned away to open the door. "Whatever, Bella. Let's go. You need to eat after all the exercise you did earlier."

My mouth fell in disbelief, but knowing the many things that would happen if I tried to argue with him, I grudgingly obeyed him.

(A/N: **PLEASE REVIEW!** The more reviews, the sooner I update. I know that this chapter was shorter than the last, but I hope that you still liked it.)


	5. It is All So Clear As I Hide From Them

**Bella's POV**

If I thought that breakfast was quiet, then it was nothing compared to lunch. The very silence was deafening. I supposed that it was because everyone was mad at each other. I was angry with Edward and his friends because of what they did to me, but mainly Edward for not caring about what I said to him earlier. That he didn't care that he had changed into a monster. Edward was furious with his buddies for hurting me. His friends were enraged with the both of us; Edward for yelling at them earlier for hurting me, and me for telling him that they did in the first place.

I did not look at anyone for the entire meal, and was more than relieved when it was finally over. Edward did not tell me that his friends needed me this time, so I went upstairs.

When I had reached the landing, I decided to take a tour of the rooms to my left. Most of the bedrooms on the right were Edward's friends. The one slightly behind me (still on the right) was the bathroom.

Surprisingly, there were beds in them, except for the one at the end of the hall by the stairs, which was a closet. There were also dressers, side-table drawers, and lamps in them. The beds had pillows and covers on them, even though they weren't being used. I went back to the third room and laid down under the bed. The blanket that draped over the edges hid me completely, from everyone except Edward. He could find me by just listening for my heartbeat and smelling my scent. Still, it was a good place to think as long as there wasn't too much noise. It was also a nice place to get away to and be alone.

I left the bedroom to retrieve a pillow from the closet, then slipped under the bed again. Fortunately and thankfully, it wasn't dusty.

I wasn't certain of how long I gazed mindlessly at the darkness above and around me. I could hear nothing save for the TV downstairs, but not much. There were also occasional footsteps, but I didn't pay attention to either of them.

That is, until I heard a pair walk up the steps. I cringed in fear when they halted outside of the door. Quickly, quietly, I reached up and hung onto the frames, placing my toes on them as well. No one would see me if they were to look under the bed.

The door opened. "Bella?" I heard Edward call gently.

I refused to answer him.

He sighed, partly in irritation. "Bella, just because am unable to see you does not mean that I cannot smell your aroma in here. I can also hear your heart pounding. Where are you?" he demanded, but not in an unkind voice.

I still did not reply. The footsteps approached the bed. My hands became moist with sweat.

"Baby, why are you doing this? Reveal your position, please."

I gave no response. I just clung onto the frame tighter to keep myself from slipping. I didn't know what he wanted with me, or from me. But whatever it was, I wasn't going to do it.

Abruptly, there was light under me. However, he probably thought that I wasn't here because it was dark again. He opened the closet door, then closed it several seconds later.

"Look, Bella, I understand that you are angry with me, but please don't hide from me. I know that you are in here, and I will not leave this room until you show yourself, even if it takes all day," he announced.

I kept silent. My arms ached, and my palms were even more sweaty. I slid, and I tried to redouble my grip on the frames, but my arms gave out. I fell with a thump, wincing as I landed on my bruises.

The covers were lifted, and the next thing I knew, I saw Edward frowning at me in bewilderment. "Why are you under here?" he inquired.

"Because I want to be," I replied in a 'duh' voice.

"I can't imagine that the floor is very comfortable," he murmured skeptically.

"Well, it is. Now can you leave me alone in peace? I was actually enjoying myself here."

He smirked with amusement. "Really?"

I glared at him. "Yes, really. I may even sleep here tonight."

Raising an eyebrow, he questioned, still grinning, "And what will you do for air?"

"Lift the covers, dumbass. _Adiós_!"

I attempted to pull down the blanket, but he was clutching it tightly.

"You're being silly, Bella. Get from under here, please," he requested.

I huffed in annoyance. "What for?" I grunted, scowling at him.

Edward pursed his lips. "Because you have no reason to be lying under here," he stated. "And also, I wanted to ask if you would like to go for a stroll with me, and get some fresh air?"

"No," I muttered, and turned away from him.

The disappointment and frustration in his voice was easily noticeable. "Why not?" he queried.

I threw the pillow over my head. "Because I had nothing to say to you, and because I want to be alone. Is there something wrong with that?" I hissed.

"Of course there isn't, but I would like it if you joined me," he remarked.

"Well, I won't. Ask Tanya if she could accompany you. I'm sure that _she_ would like to go with you," I implied in a falsely sweet tone.

There was a groan. "Baby, please don't be like that. Don't be so mean."

"Oh, I'm sorry! Am I hurting your feelings? Oh wait, I forgot! You don't have any!"

Edward laid a hand on my shoulder. "Please baby, stop. You know that that's not true. Would I be feeling so remorseful for the way I have treated you? For what I've done to you if I did not have feelings?"

I pivoted to stare at him in disbelief. "If you're so remorseful, then why did you keep doing the same things over and over?" I demanded quizzically.

He buried his face in his hand. "I lost my temper..."

"But that's no excuse! No matter how angry you are, you have no right at all to put your hand on a woman, whether it is unintentional or not."

"You're right, and I know that. I wouldn't apologize if I didn't know better. Please, please forgive me. I know that losing my temper is inexcusable, but at least I don't mean to hurt you, and I know that having you gang-raped was probably wrong..."

"_Probably?!_ Has your mind been _warped_?! OF COURSE IT WAS WRONG! ENTIRELY WRONG! Do you know how painful it was to go through that?" I began to sob. "I was screaming and crying, Edward! You _saw_ it! Why couldn't you see how much it was hurting me then and stopped your friends? _Why_? If you loved me and cared for me, you would have. No, cross that. You wouldn't have had me raped at all."

Narrowing his eyes pensively, he thought about it, but did not comment.

I frowned at him. "Well? Don't you have anything to say?!" I wept.

Edward shook his head. "But I understand what you mean and how you feel," he mumbled.

Crossing my arms, I demanded, "How can you possibly understand? You are not me! _You_ weren't thrown into this predicament by force! And how would _you_ feel if _you_ did? _How would **you** feel if **you** were held down and raped by five men repeatedly, and within the course of three days_?! Huh?!"

He shrugged after a moment. "I don't know," he responded in what sounded very much like a bored, bland voice. His face and eyes were devoid of any emotion.

I roared in exasperation. Was he honestly this hard-hearted and uncaring?! "You know what, Edward? Just leave me alone! I don't feel like talking to you anymore! Go, and don't bother me! I'm going to stay here. You can go on your walk without me!" I shouted.

"Why are you getting so upset?" Edward asked, confused.

"Because you don't seem to care about what I say, or think about it! You didn't even put yourself in my position! The only person you think about is _you_! If you didn't, I wouldn't be here! I would be at home or in Alaska! GET OUT, I SAID! _OUT_!" I yelled.

He growled. "Fine, I will, since you are going to be over-dramatic and overly emotional. I'm not going to put up with this nonsense any longer today, but you _are_ going to sleep in our bedroom tonight. I will not have you sleeping under this bed. It is no place for anyone to be."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Whatever. Just go."

"I am. I will see you later. Good-bye."

"Good-_bye_! And don't let the door hit your ass on the way out!"

Edward threw down the side of the blanket, and I heard him storm out of the room and slam the door. I grinned, happy that he had let me alone.

**Carlisle's POV**

_Continuing from last chapter-5__:32pm in Forks  
_

Charlie looked better now that he had eaten, taken a shower, and groomed himself. Kate was solely responsible for this, with me putting my two cents in. After Charlie had finished his lunch, she had convinced him to wash up and put on some presentable clothing.

"And you ought to comb your hair. It looks like a bird's nest. If Bella returns you will scare her. She'll think that you're a monster, Charlie," she added with a playful smile, teasing him.

Laughing loudly, he did as she requested. "Sure, Katrina, if you say so," he chuckled before going upstairs. He came back after a while, his eyes brighter, and his hair and clothes neater.

"Well, well! Aren't we handsome today!" Kate exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes at this, partly in amusement, and partly in embarrassment. I was also a bit surprised that she didn't yell at him for calling her Katrina. She would snap on someone if they did. However, she seemed to like it.

Charlie was flattered. "Oh, I'm not handsome. I look old," he remarked.

"No, you don't! Why would you say that? How old are you?" she inquired.

"Just turned forty-three," he responded.

Kate shrugged. "You are handsome for forty-three."

Blushing, Charlie whispered sheepishly, "If you say so, but I'll never be as handsome as you are pretty." He reddened even more. If Kate was able to blush, she would be at that moment.

Did I hear him correctly?! I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I needed to leave if they were going to be mushy. I had no desire to witness anymore of this.

"I'll just go to the kitchen while you two compliment and gush all over each other," I joked, preparing to stand.

They snickered.

"No, Carlisle, stay here. I was just going to make more phone calls and turn on the TV. There's not going to be much to do until we find Bella," Charlie pointed out. "My friends have already begun to hang up the missing person signs."

I nodded. "Good. Hopefully someone will have seen her by now, and will call you by this evening," I assured. It pained me to lie to him, but I couldn't tell him that Edward had kidnapped Bella.

Charlie plopped onto his recliner. "Yeah, hopefully," he grumbled.

Kate held out her hand as if she wanted to take his, but dropped it. "You will find Bella, Charlie. I met your daughter at the engagement party, you know. She's a kind, well-mannered young lady. I hope that she is okay, wherever she is now. I pray that she isn't hurting or being hurt because she does not deserve it."

I inclined my head in agreement. "No, she doesn't. I don't understand how she had just vanished without a trace. I pray that no one has kidnapped her."

"That would explain why no one has been able to find her, though," Charlie murmured in a thoughtful voice.

"Yes, that is true," I sighed dejectedly. "But I could never comprehend why somebody would. Who would want to take such a loving, caring woman? Why would someone take her away from us?"

Charlie ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know, but whatever the reason, I know that...that it wouldn't be a good one. Oh, my God, what if someone is hurting her? What if...what if she is..." He did not finish his sentence.

This time, Kate did put her hand on his. Once more, they jumped. "Don't say that Charlie. Bella is probably all right," she stated firmly, but there was doubt underlying her tone.

He had clearly heard it because he slumped into his chair, bowing his head.

Kate was inordinately upset over him looking so defeated. "I am sorry if I made you feel worse, Charlie. I did not intend to," she apologized frantically.

"I know that you didn't, and thank you for trying to make me feel better. I appreciate it. Really, I do," he whispered, patting her arm lightly. "But I don't want you to worry about me. I don't want anyone to stress themselves out because of me. It's unnecessary."

"...All right," she conceded, even though she looked as if she wanted to argue or say something else. She drew back and left him alone, peering at her knees morosely.

Charlie made the promised phone calls while Kate and I watched TV, or attempted to. I was too distracted and distraught to pay much attention to it. I was mostly wondering where Isabella was now. I knew for some unexplainable reason that she was calling for me, begging for me to find her. Missing me as much as I missed her.

Oh, Isabella, if only I knew where you were. I would come to get you immediately, before you could have time to worry too much. But we will find you. Just hang on for us. Please.

Charlie sat back down and gazed at the TV. He didn't appear to be watching it after a few minutes; his eyes were unfocused. Kate was frowning at him, her head cocked to one side. It was as if she were appraising him, or trying to figure him out. He must have noticed this because he turned to her.

"Yes, Katrina? Is there a problem? Do you need anything?" he queried in concern.

She started. "W-What? Oh, no. I was just wondering if you were okay, that is all. I apologize. I did not mean to stare," she replied.

"Don't worry about it, Katrina, it's fine. And I'm okay, just being an old worrywart," he muttered.

"You have every reason to be, what with the present circumstances and all. But it's not just you who is worried. Carlisle's children are, and my family is too. And even though Carlisle isn't showing it much, I know he's just as worried as you are, if not more."

Well, she was definitely right about that.

Charlie bobbed his head, but did not comment.

Pretty soon, it was seven o'clock. Kate asked him if he wanted to have dinner.

"Sure. The fried fish and rice that you made earlier was delicious," he remarked.

Kate looked extremely pleased as she shifted her attention to me. "Carlisle? Are you hungry too? You haven't eaten a thing all day," she observed.

I knew that she was keeping up appearances, so I nodded. "Yes, I am, now that I think about it," I lied.

"Okay, then. I'll just look in the kitchen and find out what I shall cook. Do you mind, Charlie?" she questioned.

"No, Katrina. Go ahead, we'll just be right here."

I listened as she opened and shut the cabinets before turning the stove on. It was a while before the meal was prepared and Kate brought our food to us.

She grinned at Charlie as she handed him his plate of meatloaf, buttered noddles, and string beans. "Here you are. I hope that you enjoy it."

"Thank you." He smiled at her as he took it. Their gazed seemed to linger on each other until Kate moved away.

_What is going on with those two?_ I asked myself as I reluctantly began to eat. I grimaced inwardly at the taste of dirt in my mouth. I wished that I didn't have to eat this-I would just throw it all up eventually.

I scarfed down my food as quickly as I could, thanked Kate, and put my dishes in the sink. When I came back to the living room, I perched on the couch again. Kate was finishing her own meal, and watched as Charlie picked with his string beans. After she had taken her dishes to the kitchen, she returned and laid her hand on his shoulders.

"Charlie?" she murmured.

"Huh?" he grunted, snapping out of his funk.

"You're not eating. Are you certain that you are okay?"

He shrugged, eyeing his half-full plate. "I guess that I am. Maybe I just lost my appetite."

Kate looked fretful. "Charlie, you have to eat to keep your strength up. I know that you are worried, believe me I do. I can see it. But you can't let yourself starve. You have to take care of yourself, so that when Bella comes home, you will be here for her. It would break her heart if something terrible were to happen to you. Could you please finish your dinner, Charlie? Please?"

At first, I believed that he would not because he gaped at her for a long time. Then, to my astonishment, he nodded.

"I will, Katrina. I...I could do anything for you, if you asked me to," he breathed.

Deeply touched, Kate squeezed his hand. She proceeded to remain by his side as he ate the rest of food. After he did, Kate offered to take his plate and silverware.

Charlie grabbed her hand as she did. "Thank you, and...thank you for the food. It tasted very good. I guess that I owe you one, eh?"

She shook her head. "No, of course you don't. I just want you to look after yourself for the sake of your health, but mostly for Bella."

He nodded. "I will try harder to. I promise."

"Good. Don't make me have to do it for you," Kate joked, nudging him playfully.

"I wouldn't want that!" Charlie snickered, although he looked as if he did.

I frowned to myself. Why were they acting like this? What was with their instant attraction to each other? The stares and goo-goo eyes? The mushy compliments, and the blushing? The touching? The fact that Kate liked for Charlie to call her Katrina when she despised it when everyone else did? If I did not know better, I would have already figured out that they were...

Both Charlie and Kate pivoted when I gasped in realization. "What?" they asked at the same time.

I shook my head. "Nothing," I lied, peering from one to the other in awe.

I would be _damned_ if they weren't soul mates!

**Bella's POV**

_Late afternoon to evening in Newton Mearns  
_

I stayed under the bed until Edward came back and told me that dinner was ready. As soon as I had finished it, however, I returned to my hiding spot. Edward followed me and tried to dazzle me into watching TV with him and his friends in the parlor.

"I'm not in the mood to, especially with them. I'll stay under here, thank you," I added in a dry voice, not looking at him.

Edward groaned. "Bella, please? I let you watch whatever you want if you do," he said.

I laughed once. "Have you ever seen me watch BBC as long as you have known me?" I demanded sarcastically.

He was quiet for a millisecond. "Well, no I haven't..." he began.

"Correct! So how can you tell me that I can watch anything I want if I don't know any of the programs that they air?! Why can't you just leave me alone? Why are you always telling me what to do? I'm not a baby, Edward. I can do whatever I want!" I screamed at him.

"Baby, I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I am only suggesting that you watch TV with us. I don't want you to be under here. I don't want you to be all by yourself."

"Why? Are you afraid that I'm going to try to escape? Well, you can stop worrying, because you will catch me in a second if I tried. Besides, didn't I just tell you to leave me alone? That means that I _want_ to be by myself!"

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "Bella, calm down. I don't want to fight with you, or lose my temper," he stated.

I turned to scowl at him. "Then leave and stop trying to dazzle me. It's not working, or haven't you noticed?" I pointed out.

The blanket trembled as he tried to control his mounting anger. "You know what, Bella? Fine. Wallow in your self-pity. I will not give in to this argument. I hope that you enjoy yourself under here. And don't come downstairs complaining that you miss me because I will not do anything to comfort you," he retorted.

I smirked at him. "Oh, I won't. Trust me, I won't. Why don't you go downstairs now, Eddie, before your friends start to miss you?" I taunted.

He sighed in exasperation. "Bella, you know that I don't like it when people call me that," he mumbled.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I mock apologized.

Edward huffed before leaving the room.

He did not bother me again until he came to ask me if I wanted dessert a long while later. This caused me to think of something that I haven't before.

"Um, why were you eating human food, by the way? Not that I care. But don't your friends know what you are?" I inquired.

To my astonishment, he replied, "Yes, they know, but they will not tell anybody, mostly because no one would believe them. The reason why I am eating human food is because I told them that I am one of the rare breeds that are capable of doing so. I did not want to scare them or make them uncomfortable."

I laugh outright at this. "You are such an _idiot_, Edward Masen!" I chortled.

He grinned sheepishly. "Yes, I know that I am. I had to pay for it every since I came up with that lie."

"I'll bet," I snorted.

"So, do you want dessert?"

"No, thanks. I'm not hungry...I'm still full from dinner."

He nodded. "All right. I will come get you at bedtime, okay?"

I shrugged. "Whatever."

Accordingly, Edward did after more time had passed. However, I didn't want to leave the room. Edward had to scooped me up and carry me to his after I had pleaded and protested for five whole minutes.

When he had set me down on the bed, I attempted to leave, but he stood in front of the door. Knowing that he wouldn't budge, I grudgingly laid down. I was suddenly tired. Tired of the arguments. Tired of fighting him.

"You forgot to change into your pajamas," he remarked. He walked over to my drawer and took out a nightgown, then held it out to me.

I put it on because he would dress me himself if I didn't and jumped under the covers. "Good-night," I muttered before yanking them over my head.

Edward turned off the lamp and I felt the bed dip as he settled himself next to me. I wiggled away from him.

"I told you earlier to stay away from me and not to touch me," I remarked in fury.

"Yes, you did, but I know that you did not mean it," he whispered, gently pulling the blanket down to uncover me. "You were just upset, but I promised that I would make it up to you. I want to do it now. Come here."

I started to panic as he dragged me over to him. "No! Edward, just let it be. I'm not it the mood for this. I don't want to have sex with you. I'm exhausted. Let me go to sleep," I implored rapidly.

He undressed in lightning speed. "Of course you want to. And as for your being exhausted, you can be on the bottom, and this won't take long," he assured, pulling the hem of my gown up to my waist and ripping my panties off.

I tried to smack him, but he grabbed my wrists and pinned them to the bed. He opened my legs with his knees.

"EDWARD, STOP! GET OFF!" I bellowed.

Not listening to what I was saying, he drove his cock into me with a moan. I whimpered from the excruciating pain.

"Edward, please," I wept as he thrusted in and out of me. "Please stop."

"Shhhhhh," he hissed, grunting in ecstasy. "Just let me do this. Allow me to show you how sorry I am for what I did."

My mouth fell. "You're _doing_ one of the things you did to me _again_, _right now_! Don't you care?! STOP IT!"

He pursed his lips before holding my wrists with one hand and covering my mouth with the other. "Don't make too much noise, you'll wake up my friends," he murmured, increasing his speed. "Good girl," he crooned when I didn't make a sound, as if I had a choice. No one could hear me if I screamed except Tanya, but I knew that she wouldn't stop him for some unknown reason.

I kept my eyes on the ceiling as he moaned and groaned above me.

"Oh, I love you, Bella," Edward sighed in content, kissing me on the lips. I tried to twist my head away, but I wasn't able to. "You love me too, don't you?"

_How could I say no without getting hurt?_ I asked myself in fear. I didn't want to say it, but I didn't want to lie and say "yes" either! He would know that I wasn't telling the truth! I was at an impasse!

Or was I? Would a lie be the truth to Edward?

What could I do? What could I do?

"I..." I faltered, not knowing what to say. "I..."

Edward pounded into me. "Go on, tell me that you do," he breathed.

Tears rolled to the back off my neck. I couldn't answer him! I just couldn't!

He gazed at me in confusion. "Bella?" he queried.

I swallowed thickly. "I...I...I don't know anymore. You hurt me. I don't know."

"Well, I told you that I am sorry. Please believe that I am."

That was the problem. How could I when he was raping me? How could I if he was likely to hurt me again? But glancing at him, I just nodded, wanting him to finish and get off of me.

He beamed. "You do love me, then."

I shrugged, not knowing how to correct him without upsetting him.

Finally, Edward came hard and redressed. I turned over and sobbed into my pillow.

"What's wrong, baby?" he questioned.

"You! You raped me. You hurt me again. How could you, Edward?" I demanded tearfully, glaring at him.

He did not answer. I buried my face in my arms and eventually cried myself to sleep.

(A/N: **PLEASE REVIEW!** _The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update._ Stay tuned. There are more surprises on the way. "Lift the covers, dumbass!" Oh, that was my favorite line lol.)


	6. Why Did My Birthday Have to End in Pain?

**Bella's POV**

_September 7th thru the 12th_

Over the next five days, everything was pretty much the same. I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner with Edward and his friends. Then I would lay down under a bed for hours at a time. I did not stay in the same room. Every day, I would choose one of the other three.

Edward and I argued often, at least two to four times a day. I tried not to, though. I tried to keep on his good side as much as I could, to avoid getting hurt too often, but it was difficult. We were both too stubborn. It seemed as if we were almost always yelling at each other and slamming doors. The fights over the same things: Him bothering me and not leaving me alone. Him touching me. The fact that I spent more time under the beds than with him. That fact that I won't go outside or watch TV downstairs. My sarcastic remarks. My rudeness and disrespect towards him. His towards me. My unwillingness to listen to him and help friends. Tanya. Clothes. My wanting to go home. My "lying" about not desiring to have sex with him. Edward lost his temper every once in a while, and would hit, beat, or rape me.

We squabbled everywhere too. In his bedroom or one of the others. From under a bed. In the bathroom. In the hallway. In the kitchen. In the parlor. On the stairs.

Luckily (and unfortunately), after my first day here, I only had to put up with Edward's buddies twice. Daniel and Jerry one evening, and Brad and Victor two afternoons later. Of course, this did not matter. Having to deal with them for even a small amount of time was bad enough. To make matters worse, Edward raped (and sometimes beat me) every night before I went to sleep. On a few days, Edward forced himself on me two times. I tried to prevent him from doing so and make him stop. For instance, I would tell him that I wasn't in the mood for sex, or that he was hurting me. However, it didn't work. He would slow down or use less force, but kept going. Or, he tell me that I _did_ want it, which was both irritating and disheartening.

Each encounter I had with him and his buddies slowly diminished my will to fight. I started to feel that there was not much point in it. No matter how much I attempted to, I was quickly held down and overpowered. If I tried to scream or yell, I was silenced. On top of everything, I had to deal with Edward's friends because Edward made me. If I did not obey him or lie to his pals when they asked me certain questions, it would only be worse for me. I would find myself under a bed, bruised nearly everywhere except my face and chest, and/or raped again (by Edward.) They did not care about me, or what I wanted or did not want. Nor did they care about my pain. I was practically nobody to them, which caused my self-esteem to fade little by little. They were all nothing but cruel, selfish bastards.

I was officially depressed now, and I cried half of the time. I mostly did under a bed, where I had privacy. I wept out of misery, fear, rage, heartache, and pain. Usually, as I did, I would clamp my hands between my thighs. My vagina constantly hurt from being raped every day-not to mention my behind-even if they were not forcing themselves on me right then. Just thinking about what they did to me caused pain to flare up in that area. Edward noticed me doing this once and forced me to tell him what was wrong. Then he made Brad give me an examination (not without some difficulty.) However, he said that there was nothing physically wrong with it. No cuts or scrapes or anything of the sort.

I knew that crying never solved anything, but it helped. Whenever I managed to stop the tears, I felt better. Not much, but somewhat. It was likely what kept me from going insane. I had lost my appetite, but I still continued to eat. Edward bitched about it when I didn't, which led to more quarreling.

Sleep was not friendly to me at all, no escape. I had nightmares every evening since my first night in this house. They were as real as reality was for me at the moment.

Within in a day or so of my captivity here, I had become paler than usual. My eyes looked dull and dead, and my voice sounded hollow and numb. Edward thought that I was ill at first, but when I realized that that wasn't the case, said that I was just homesick. Not that this was a lie; it was certainly true. But the main reason why I was like this was because I missed Carlisle. I needed his love, his affection, and he was thousands of miles away. I almost felt like nothing without it. When I cried, it was usually for and to him. I wished that Alice could see Edward's decisions so that it would make it easier for me to be found. I needed him terribly.

If it were not for Carlisle, I knew that I would not have the strength to go on. I would not have the gall to face Edward or his friends either, knowing what they would do to me. Just knowing that he was out there looking for me gave me the power to wake up in the morning and endure whatever lay ahead.

(Happy Birthday to me. SO NOT!)

I woke up to an empty room and silence for once, yawning and grimacing as I stretched my aching limbs. I peered at the clock on the side-table drawer. It was 9:58.

I climbed out of bed, taking a shower and dressing quickly. It would not do to be late for breakfast. Edward would curse me out, like he did three days ago.

The smell of pancakes and bacon-my favorite breakfast-drifted into my nostrils as I headed downstairs. When I entered the kitchen, Edward and his friends were standing around the table.

"Happy nineteenth birthday, Bella!" they declared, grinning widely. Edward held a plate of food out to me.

I took it reluctantly. "Edward, you know that I don't like it when people notice my birthday," I grumbled.

His friends looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

Edward smiled at me. "Bella, as I said to you a year ago, your birth is definitely something to celebrate. If you did not exist, I would have never found love," he remarked, kissing me on the lips before I could move away.

_Found a sex doll, you mean_, I thought.

He rubbed his hands together. "Well...let's eat," he announced.

I plopped down onto the seat diagonally across from Edward's with irritation as the others sat down. I ate as fast as I could so that I could get away from them. Just as I was about to put my dishes in the sink, however, Edward lifted a hand to stop me.

"Hold on a minute. I have to speak to you about something," he stated.

_Please don't tell me that I have to fulfill your buddies needs again_, I whispered to myself, trembling in fear.

Caressing my cheek, Edward mumbled, "Don't looked so scared. There is nothing to worry about. I just wanted to ask you if you would like to have a cookout for your birthday?"

"What does it matter? You're just going to have one anyway, no matter what I tell you. Besides, since when do you care my opinions?" I demanded bitterly, jerking away from him.

"Baby, don't act like this. I want you to be happy on your special day."

"Then leave me alone."

I made to leave, but he reached out and took my arm. "Let go of me!" I ordered, attempting to yank my arm out of his grasp.

He refused to do so. "Please, Bella. Everyone should have fun on their birthday. Allow us to do something for you. Moping around will not make you happy."

I quirked an eyebrow. "How do you know this? Maybe it will, for all you do."

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "Come on. Please?"

Knowing that he would not give up and/or lose his temper, I slumped into my chair. "Fine," I hissed. "Now unhand me! Please?"

He dropped my arm. "Wonderful. Meet us outside at lunchtime, okay?" he inquired.

"Whatever," I murmured. I stood up and put my dishes in the sink. After that, I went to the first unoccupied bedroom and laid under the bed. I hunched my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

I greatly desired to go home, but I knew that Edward would not let me if I asked him to. I was not looking forward to the barbecue. I wanted to stay here and be left alone. However, if I did not meet Edward and his friends as he told me to, I would be in trouble. He would come searching for me, and I did not want to find out what he would do to me after he did.

I groaned and buried my face in my hands.

**Carlisle's POV**

_10:15am in Forks, same day  
_

Six days have passed and Isabella still has not turned up. None of my children had found her yet. Eleazar, Carmen, and Irina did not either. Kate and I looked for her at night when we were not at Charlie's house. We traveled on foot; it was quicker this way. We covered all of Montana and parts of Idaho, but we were not lucky.

I had allowed Charlie to search for Isabella after two days. When he did, I would join him, and so would Kate. We would be on the road for hours, foraging for her in the most likely-and unlikely-places that we would expect her to be. Nevertheless, we still could not find her.

Jacob, to my surprise, had continued to aid me in looking for Isabella with the help of his friends. In exchange for his assistance, I permitted them to search for her in our territory. My children were not pleased with my decision, but understood why I had let them do this. Jacob and his friends thanked me and went on with their search. They would call me to update on their progress, but they have not found her either.

On top of everything else, practically the whole state was trying to locate her. Charlie had even set up an award for $20,000 to anyone who found her. He said that he may make the reward higher if she isn't found within two weeks.

Now, it was Isabella's birthday. I was sure that wherever she was, it was the worse she had by far. Her birthday last year would never compare to this one, even though it was bad enough. If Isabella was here, Alice would have likely thrown another party for her. Then again, she-Isabella-would not have wanted one.

With a sigh, I ran my fingers through my tousled hair. After that, I glanced at the phone that was on my desk, hoping that somebody would call with news. No one did, so I threw on my jacket and headed to Charlie's house. We were going to look for Isabella again. Kate met me at the Mercedes, attempting to hide her eagerness. I could not blame her. Over the past several days, both she and Charlie had gotten a little more closer. Kate had long since found out that he was her soul mate. When she explained to me how she felt about him once, she realized it.

Kate clucked her tongue as she peered at me. "You look awful," she observed as we stepped in the vehicle.

"I feel awful. I has almost been a week, and we still haven't found Isabella. Where could she be?" I queried half to myself.

"I wish that I knew, for both your sake and Charlie's," she responded in the quiet voice.

"Mmm," I grunted.

Five minutes later, I parked in Charlie's driveway. The aforementioned person opened the door after Kate knocked.

He grinned halfheartedly when he saw that it was us. "Good morning, Carlisle, Katrina," he stated.

"Good morning, Charlie," I returned.

"Morning. How are you today?" Kate added.

Charlie drooped. "I could be better. Today's is Bella's nineteen birthday. I know that she wants to be here at home than where she is now...wherever that is," he mumbled.

Pursing her lips, she embraced him gently. "I am certain that that is true, but we might find her today. You never know," she soothed.

He just nodded, but did not comment.

She cocked her head to the side. "Have you eaten breakfast?" she inquired with a worried look on her face.

"Yeah," he replied earnestly. "So, are you guys ready for another hunt?"

We nodded and jumped into Charlie's police cruiser. We had covered a few cities to the north, south, and west, so today, we were going east. Charlie, Kate and I passed around Isabella's photo to crowds of people of all ages. Plus, we checked out every abandoned house and other such places where nobody would think to look.

We searched for her all day, but did not find her. If I were human, I have been physically tired. As it was, I was mentally exhausted and worn out as Charlie drove us back to Forks. Besides that, a vampire headache was forming near my temples. I rubbed them, wishing that my kind had the ability to take aspirin or ibuprofen. But there would be no rest tonight. After Kate and I hunted-I seriously needed to. I hadn't since Isabella had gone missing-we would look for her again.

After a long while, Charlie had slowed to a stop in his driveway. "Thanks again for the help. You have no idea how much it means to me, and how grateful I am to the both of you," he remarked.

I smiled a little. "It is no trouble. We are glad to do this with you. Isabella means as much to us as she does to you. We will do anything to help you find her," I noted.

Kate inclined her head in agreement.

Charlie gave us (well, mostly Kate) an eye-crinkling grin. "I noticed. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Hold on. Would...would you like for me to cook dinner for you? You have to starving. You have barely eaten anything since this morning," Kate pointed out.

"Dinner sounds wonderful."

Once we were in the house, she prepared a meal for us. I did not pay a lot of attention to the food as I watched TV with her and Charlie. We stay for a bit longer, then got ready to leave.

"Thanks for dinner, Katrina. I will be taking a break tomorrow. I'm kind of tired, and I need to rest," Charlie grumbled.

Kate snickered lightly. "I understand how you feel. If you want, I will come here to help with the cooking and the cleaning," she offered.

Charlie glanced around him and laughed. "Yeah, this house does look like pigsty, doesn't it? You can help if you want, but you don't have to."

"I want to. What time would you like me to come over?"

He pondered this. "Eleven o'clock or noon is fine."

She nodded. "All right. I will see you then."

"Okay. I'll be on the lookout for you."

Kate grinned, and after we bid him farewell, the both of us left the house.

I turned to her and smirked. "I think that you are growing on him," I joked, nudging her playfully.

Rolling her eyes, she muttered, "Shut up, Carlisle."

I chuckled as we stepped into my Mercedes.

**Bella's POV**

_1:00pm in Newton Mearns_**  
**

I was still laying down under the bed, moping as usual, when the door opened. The covers were lifted, and Edward appeared.

"What do you _want_?" I demanded in an irritated voice. I was not in the mood to talk to him at the moment. Then again, I never was.

He narrowed his eyes in warning. "Tanya is here. She is going to curl your hair for the party," he replied.

My jaw dropped as I scowled. "Party?! I thought that we were only having a barbecue!" I exclaimed.

Edward motioned for me to get from under the bed. "I figured that it wouldn't hurt to have some music and dancing. Don't tell me that you can't dance," he added, cutting me off as I was about to protest. "I saw through Carlisle's mind that you know how to. And Victor is baking your cake. I told him that you liked vanilla."

I facepalmed. "Why are you doing this to me? You know that I hate parties. Can you just cancel it?" I pleaded.

Blinking, he questioned, "Cancel it? I can't do that. Everyone is really looking forward to this, especially Tanya. She loves parties."

"I'm surprised that she isn't your mate, then," I whispered.

"No, she is not. Let's go. Tanya is waiting for us in our room."

I followed him reluctantly. I did not care to have my hair done, to tell the truth. Since I had been forced to come to this shithole, my appearance was the least of my worries. It did not matter to me anymore. Why should it? Nobody really cared about my looks. I bet that Edward and his friends would rape me even if my face was a mass of bruises. They would just ignore it, cum, and jump off of me.

Tanya was standing behind a chair in front on my dresser. She nodded at me, and because Edward was watching us, I bobbed my head in return. Otherwise, I wouldn't have done so.

"Good afternoon, Bella. You may sit down here, and I will start right away. It won't take long for me to finish," she murmured softly.

I turned to Edward, and he inclined his head. Resignedly, I lowered myself onto the chair. It was quiet as Tanya proceeded to curl my hair. I did not speak, and she did not either. Nor did Edward for once, thank goodness.

Within less than an hour, she was putting the curlers away.

Edward's eyes sparkled in admiration. "You look so beautiful," he commented.

I glanced at the mirror. I suppose that he was right to some degree. My _hair_ looked beautiful, but not the rest of me.

Tanya must have known what I was thinking, because she asked, "Would you like me to apply some make-up on your face to hide the bruises?"

I shrugged, not giving a damn if she did. Taking my shrug as a yes, she applied the cover-up. I almost looked like my old self, but my hollow eyes contrasted with my face. They made my appearance seem thoroughly woebegone.

Edward frowned and placed his hand on my forehead. "Are you okay? You look sick," he observed.

"I'm not sick," I murmured truthfully. _But I am sick of you_, I added internally.

"That's good."

At precisely 2:30, Edward, Tanya, and I went outside. Jerry turned on the music, and Victor was pouring charcoal into the grill. Brad and Daniel were residing on lawn chairs. Tanya sat with them as Edward pulled one chair next to another.

He gestured to it. "Come over here with me."

I obeyed, frightened over the idea of he may do if I refused. I walked over to him before perching on the chair stiffly, wishing that I was a million miles away from him. He sat next to me and tried to strike up a conversation, but I did not respond to anything he said.

It was not long before the burgers, hot dogs, ribs, and roast chicken were prepared. Everyone ate, then the music was turned up. Tanya danced with Brad for several minutes, then with Edward. When he asked to dance with me, I shook my head.

"I don't really feel like it. I'm tired," I groaned.

"You're tired? From what?" he inquired skeptically.

"Last night, you stupid vampire," I retorted.

His expression lit up. "Oh, of course. Perhaps we can later," he chuckled.

I just rolled my eyes at him. There was no way in hell I was going to dance with him.

Pretty soon, the drinks were brought out. There was ice tea, lemonade, and soda. In addition to that was beer, wine, champagne, and liquor.

Edward filled seven wine glasses with champagne, then handed one to each of us. As soon as we were all holding a glass, he lifted his in air. "To Bella. May the rest of your birthday go by well," he proclaimed.

The others raised their glasses. "To Bella!" they announced.

I smiled at him sarcastically. "Thanks," I remarked in a falsely sweet voice.

"You're welcome." He winked at me and I gave him a dirty look. He laughed.

I was certain that they rest of the day would have passed by just beautifully (not) if his friend hadn't become inebriated. They kept staring at both Tanya and I lustfully and yelling sexual remarks and suggestions at us. I tried to ignore them, but it was hard to with all of the screaming.

Daniel had finally grown exasperated with my inattention after some time and ran over to me.

I immediately knew what he was thinking. I took a beer bottle, broke half of it on a table, and held it out in front of me. "_Back off, cocksucker_!" I shouted.

Edward howled with laughter, pushing him away from me before I did some serious damage. "Leave her alone, she looks as if she really will hurt you. Come on, baby. Put that down before _you_ also hurt yourself. I think it would be a good idea to stop the party now. You look exhausted."

Finally. We agreed on something for once. But I still hated him.

The music was turned off, the food was put away, and the fire in the grill was clumsily unlit. I chortled when Victor almost burned himself. Serves him right. After that, we entered the house as Tanya went back to her cottage.

"Bella, I have a surprise for you," Edward stated when we were in our bedroom.

"Oh, come on! You know that I don't like surprises!" I protested.

He gazed at me imploringly. "But you will love this one. Trust me," he begged.

I sighed in annoyance. "Fine, whatever."

With a crooked grin, he took a box out of his pocket and held it out to me. "Happy Birthday."

I opened it to find a sparkly necklace with a **B** charm on it.

"Do you like it?" Edward inquired when I did not say anything.

"It _is_ pretty," I admitted. However, I didn't want it. I didn't want anything from him.

Beaming with delight, he reached for the necklace, then clasped it around my neck. "It looks wonderful on you."

"Thanks," I muttered.

Noticing the tone of my voice, his brow furrowed in concern. "Bella, what is wrong? You seemed to be down in the dumps today. Are you not happy?" he queried.

Tears welled up in my eyes as soon as the question was asked. "Happy?! _Happy_?! Of course I'm not happy! I want to go home...I don't like it here. I'm getting beaten and raped every time I turn around, and no one cares about it. Why did you bring me to this place?! Why did you take me away from my family? Our family? I miss everyone so much. I miss Carlisle, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie. I miss Mom, Phil, Charlie. I miss Jacob, and his friends. I didn't even get a chance to say good-bye to them, or tell them that I love them. How could you just take me away from them?" I sobbed in fury and despair.

Edward attempted to embrace me, but I shrugged out of his grasp. "No. Get away from me," I wept.

I made a dash for the bathroom, but he caught me. "I'm sorry. I know that you miss them; I can see it. But we are only in the beginning of our vacation. We can't leave so soon. However, we will go back to Forks soon. I promise," he whispered, pulling me into him.

I jerked away from him and curled up on the bed. "I don't believe you, Edward Masen! Just leave me alone."

He did nothing as I cried my heart out for an unknown amount of time. Afterwards, I laid there quietly before deciding to take a shower. Edward was still standing in the same spot I left him in, his head lowered.

Paying him no mind, I walked into the bathroom and undressed. Seconds later, nice, hot water was shooting onto me. My tense muscles relaxed, and I felt myself calming down. I was starting to feel a little better...

Abruptly, before I knew what was going on, the shower door was opened. I jumped as Edward leaned against it, naked, gazing at me from head to toe. His eyes were pitch black with lust and desire.

"GET OUT!" I hissed through clenched teeth, trying to shield my body with my hands and my washcloth. "What do you want _now_?"

"To be with you. I hear that making love in the shower is quite enjoyable," he purred.

I felt sick to my stomach. "No thanks. The water is hot, and you're cold. I don't want to risk getting pneumonia," I retorted.

Nodding thoughtfully, he grinned apologetically. "You are correct. I'll be waiting for you in our room then," he said.

"No thanks," I repeated.

"What do you mean? Everyone likes sex on their birthday," he pointed out.

"Everyone but me," I grunted.

Rolling his eyes, Edward closed the door and left the bathroom.

I dreaded the end of my shower, but I couldn't stay in it forever. Quivering with anxiety, I turned off the water and dried myself off. I had hardly stepped into our bedroom when Edward grabbed me.

"Come on. Come to bed with me," he whispered in what he thought was a seductive voice, kissing me on the lips.

I twisted my head away. "No! Edward, get off of me. You're hurting my arm!" I bellowed.

His gripped slackened, but he did not let me go. "It will be fun," he murmured. He swept me up into his arms and laid me on my side of the bed.

"No! Edward, no!" I implored as he yanked off my towel. I didn't want to be raped on my _birthday_. Unfortunately, it looked like that was about to happen. "Just leave me alone for once!"

Edward was not paying attention to me. He opened my legs and lined himself up at my entrance.

"STOP IT, EDWARD!" I hollered, then punched him in the face. Not hard enough to hurt me, though.

He groaned in irritation before pinning my wrists to the bed with his hands. I let out a sob as he thrusted into me. Then he set off at a moderate pace, grunting, "You love it. You love it." and "Who's the birthday girl?" over and over. I did not answer him. I just wanted him to stop. I was in agony; My vagina was hurting very badly.

My wish came after what seemed like days. He finally slid out of me and I turned away from him, weeping and clutching my pussy with both hands.

I couldn't believe that Edward would do this to me on my birthday, of all days. If I thought that my birthday last year was the worse one I had, then I was terribly wrong.

None of my birthdays were, or ever would be, as horrible as this one.

Oh, Carlisle, where are you?

**(A/N: PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! The more, the better.)**


	7. Speechless! Just Plain Speechless!

**Bella's POV**

_September 14th thru 16th_

On the day after my birthday, Edward asked Brad to give me another check-up when I told him that my vagina was still hurting. This time, Brad did it more thoroughly, and found out what the problem was.

"It turns out that her vagina is raw. I'll treat it for her and she'll be as good as new. I would recommend that she doesn't engage in any sexual activity for a couple of days, so that she can heal properly," he stated.

Edward nodded. "All right. Well, do what you have to do. I will be sitting over there in the corner," he mumbled.

When Brad had finished minutes later, Edward had carried me to our room. He did not say anything to me except, "I apologize for being so rough with you. Here...lay down and rest for a while. I will let you know when it is time for lunch."

I did not comment or reply, just buried myself deeper under the covers.

Nothing else happened for the rest of afternoon. I was left alone for the most part, to my relief. The only time Edward bothered me was at mealtimes. I was just happy that he or his friends couldn't rape me, even though I know that they would as soon as I was better.

For the next two days, it was pretty much the same. Edward treated me like a queen (to my astonishment) and practically had me on bed-rest so that I wouldn't "strain anything." He even carried me downstairs when Victor announced that breakfast, lunch, or dinner was ready. I kept to myself unless it was time to eat. Truth be told, I was actually bored, but I would have rather been bored than feeling constant dread and fear.

Edward noticed my lack of motivation to do anything and lent me several books. "These should help pass the time," he remarked.

At first, I didn't read them. But when I couldn't think of anything else to do, I found myself picking one up. I almost smiled when I realized that it was my favorite book: _Wuthering Heights_. I became lost in the story, and because I was rarely interrupted, I finished it in a couple of days.

(Today-September 17th, early morning)

The first thing that I noticed when I woke up was that my vagina didn't hurt anymore. I smiled in relief, overjoyed that the pain was gone.

I showered and dressed, but it was still early-breakfast wouldn't be ready for another hour.

The door opened and Edward appeared. "Good morning, Bella. I thought that I heard you creeping around. How are you feeling?" he queried, sitting down next to me.

I narrowed my eyes. "Uh...better," I replied cautiously.

He grinned softly. "That's wonderful. I...I honestly do apologize for being so rough. I never meant to hurt you. You should have told me before what was wrong," he pointed out.

I shrugged, turning away from him. "Whatever. It's doesn't matter," I uttered in a low voice.

Edward embraced me, and I tried to move away from him. "Bella, please don't be so stubborn."

"I'm not being stubborn. I'm just not in the mood for hugs right now."

"You are never in the mood for anything anymore."

Realizing that he was not going to let me go, I slumped, partly in exhaustion and partly in defeat. I held myself stiffly in his arms until he backed up.

Giving me the puppy-dog eyes, he inquired, "Will you forgive me?"

The truthful answer was no, but since I knew that it would only him upset if I did (and I wanted to avoid his temper at all costs), I had to lie. "Fine, I do. Happy?" I demanded, sighing with exasperation.

Edward brightened, not noticing that I had lied to him. "Yes, I am. Thank you," he whispered.

I grunted.

A short while later, Victor called everyone down to breakfast. We went to the kitchen and started to eat when he served the food. Once everybody was finished, I headed upstairs for one of the bedrooms. Edward went to the den, which was between the kitchen and the parlor. It had a bookshelf in there, as well as a desk and a piano. I was not sure how the hell he was able to get them over the cliff, but I wasn't going to ask him. Edward's friends either went to their rooms or stayed downstairs and watched television. There really wasn't much to do in this house. No wonder everyone grew bored often.

Just as I had gotten comfortable in my little hidey-hole, Edward's voice drifted up to me.

"Bella! Could you look in the bottom drawer next to my side of the bed and bring me that box of sheet music, please?" he called.

I growled internally and half-stormed to the bedroom that I was forced to share with him. When I opened the aforementioned drawer, I found a dark-brown box. Next to it was a folder where several pictures had spilled out. One of them was of Carlisle in his black coat and red scarf. He was smiling that warm of his that I adored.

Without thinking, I snatched it up and put it in my pocket. Then I grabbed the box before running downstairs.

"You may come in," Edward announced when I knocked on the den's door.

I entered the room and tentatively made my way over to him. The photo in my pocket suddenly felt heavy, like a brick. I hope that he wouldn't see it.

Edward looked up from his piano. "Thank you, baby. That is all I need for now. I will call you if I want you for anything else."

I just nodded and left.

I quickly ran back to my hiding place, lifting the covers so that it wasn't too dark. Then I slid Carlisle's picture from my pocket and gazed at it intently. It felt like years since I had seen him. He smiled back at me, and this time, it seemed like a morose, wistful smile instead of a warm one. But maybe it was just how it looked to me.

_I miss you,_ Carlisle seemed to say.

A tear rolled out of my eye. I missed him too, so much that it hurt. My heart ached with loneliness. I wished that he was with me instead of in the picture. Or that I was at home. Nevertheless, this photo of him would have to do. I laid down and curled into a ball as I continued to stare at it.

I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, I heard Edward yelling.

"BELLA!" he shouted.

"What?" I half-hollered back groggily.

"What do you mean 'what'?! It's lunchtime! What the _hell_ are you doing?! I have been calling you for FIVE minutes!" he thundered.

Damn! I was late for lunch again! I knew that I was in trouble. I hid Carlisle's picture, which was in my hand, in the bed frame. "S-Sorry. I fell asleep."

There was silence. I couldn't tell if was because he was angry or if he was just accepting what I told him.

Unfortunately, it was not the latter, as I prayed it would be. I didn't even set one foot in the kitchen when Edward pulled me into it by my hair.

"What the fuck did I tell you before about being late for your mealtimes?" he growled, tugging on my hair.

"Owwwww! Edward, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. It was an accident. I told you that I fell asleep," I cried in a pleading voice, grimacing in pain.

He leaned down so that his face was close to mine. "Well, the next time you are ready to take a nap, let me know so that I can wait you up ahead of time. If you fail to do this, you will regret it," he hissed.

I nodded hastily and he pushed me away. I crashed to the floor.

Edward hovered over me. "_Get_ up and sit down," he ordered through clenched teeth.

Not wanting to set him off, I bolted up and scurried to my chair. Edward's friends did not look at me. They just continued to eat their food as if nothing had happened. They didn't even try to defend me or stand up for me. Fucking cowards.

I shook as I tucked into my meal in silence. Edward huffed occasionally as he ate his lunch, and his friends had remained quiet. After all of our plates were clean, trudged back upstairs to the second bedroom.

Once I was under the bed, I grabbed Carlisle's photo and peered at it gloomily._ I don't know how much longer I can take this Carlisle. Every time things seem to get better, it just gets worse_, I thought.

I kissed the picture and held it over my heart. I knew that it was odd to speak to a photo in your head, much less kiss it, but I couldn't have said anything aloud without making Edward suspicious.

Closing my eyes, I wondered what Carlisle was doing at the moment. What Alice, the others, and Charlie were up to. It was around seven o'clock, seven thirty in Forks. (Newton Mearns was eight hours-or time zones-away from there.) Unless they were still searching for me, there was nothing else that I could imagine them doing. Charlie (not to mention Carlisle and the others) had to be out of their minds with anxiety by now. It has almost been two weeks since Edward had brought me here. Two long weeks.

I did not fall asleep again, but I would stare into the darkness from time to time. Piano music lilted all over the house. Edward was probably creating a new song or something. The TV was still going downstairs.

The hours crept by sluggishly as the afternoon wore on. I did not move from my hiding place. I just laid there in solitude, not thinking of anything. I also tried not to think of what Edward did to me earlier. Every once in a while, I looked at Carlisle's picture. It was amazing to see how his smile was the same, and yet, it could appear so different. Other than morose, warm, and wistful, it also looked comforting and encouraging. It looked calm as well, but never happy or joyful. However, as I mentioned before, it likely just seemed that way to me.

When it was time for dinner, I hid the picture again before going downstairs. When the meal was over, I went right back to the bedroom.

Some time later, I heard footsteps approaching. I slid the picture into the bed frame as quickly as I could, lest it was Edward.

And it was. He paused outside of the door and opened it. "Bella? Are you okay?" he queried. A few days ago, he had grown used to me hanging out under the beds. But there were times when he would attempt to make me spend time with him.

"Oh, yeah! I'm great! But I must admit that I was perfect until you nearly pulled all of my hair out," I drawled sarcastically in a falsely sweet voice.

"I am sorry. You know that my temper gets the better of me," he remarked.

I rolled my eyes. "You need to learn how to control it," I pointed out.

He sighed sadly. "I know. Well, I suppose that I will call you when it is time for bed."

I grunted. Edward left, and for a moment, there was peace and quiet.

But not for long.

Edward walked to our room down the hall and I heard him open a drawer. There was a thud-I supposed that he was putting the box of sheet music into it. Then there was another pause before there was a lot of rustling. Seconds later, there was a slam and an explosion.

"BELLA! GET IN HERE, BITCH! _NOW_!" Edward bellowed in fury.

Abruptly, the house grew deadly silent.

Oh no! What now?

I put Carlisle's photo in the bed frame once more, then hurried to our room. I tiptoe inside warily and the door closed behind me. Edward was in front of it, glaring at me in a towering rage.

He stepped forward. I backed away until the back of my legs hit the bed, causing me to sit down on it. I held my hands up. "Edward, please don't hurt me!" I implored in fear, stammering.

Ignoring me, Edward snatched me up by my collar. "WHERE IS IT?! WHERE IS IT, YOU BITCH?!" he shouted in my face.

"W-Where's what?" I inquired.

"THE PICTURE!" he yelled.

I blinked, dread building up in my abdomen. Oh man! He found out that I had taken it! "Picture? What picture?"

Edward's scowl deepened. "THE PICTURE OF CARLISLE! IN WHICH HE WAS WEARING A BLACK COAT AND A RED SCARF!"

Gulping, I lied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

He snarled and yanked me over to his side-table drawer. He rummaged in it before thrusting a photo into my face. It was a copy of the one that was hidden. "I AM TALKING ABOUT _THIS_ ONE! I HAD TWO, AND NOW I ONLY HAVE THIS ONE. I KNOW THAT I DIDN'T TAKE IT OUT, AND _YOU_ WERE THE ONLY ONE WHO WAS IN MY DRAWER TODAY-EXCEPT FOR WHEN I PUT MY SHEET MUSIC BACK. I KNOW THAT YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD HAVE IT BECAUSE MY FRIENDS NEVER COME IN OUR ROOM. WHERE IS IT, BELLA?! YOU HAD BETTER TELL ME RIGHT NOW!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I repeated. "Let me go! Please!"

Edward pulled me closer to him. "YOU ARE LYING TO ME! I CAN SEE IT, YOU THIEVING WHORE! IF YOU DON'T TELL ME WHERE THE PICTURE IS, I WILL RAPE THE ANSWER OUT OF YOU! I _KNOW_ THAT YOU KNOW WHERE IT IS!" He shoved me towards the door. "GO AND FIND IT! YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES!"

"I-I don't know what you're-!"

_SMACK_! "I SAID TO GO AND FIND IT!"

Knowing that it would be best not to argue with him any longer, I dashed out of the room, massaging my swelling, throbbing cheek. I hastily retrieved the photo and went back to Edward, trembling violently as I held it out to him.

He narrowed his eyes at me before grabbing it. Then he placed it on the side-table drawer. "So," he began in a low, menacing voice. I would rather that he had screamed at me. "You lied to me. You stood there, and you _lied_ to me about stealing my photo."

I attempted to run, but he caught me. "You're not going anywhere. I am going to teach you to steal things from me." He left the room and locked the door.

My heart raced as I pounded on it. "Edward, please! Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry! I'll never do it again, I promise! Just don't hurt me, please!"

Footsteps approached. I moved away from the door just in time as he threw it open. A wide, brown leather strap hump limply in his hand.

I shook my head in desperation as I realized what he was planning to do. "E-Edward, no! Don't! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I swear I'll never do it again! Don't!" I pleaded, clutching his shirt.

Edward pushed me to the floor and ripped my jeans off. Then, with his face contorted in fury, he swung the strap high.

I raised my hands. "NOOOOOOOO! Please don't hit me! Please!" I begged.

The air whistled around the strap before it landing on my thigh with a loud CRACK! I screamed over and over as Edward continued to lay into me with it.

"Edward, st-AHH! NO! OW! OW! AHH! Please, I'm sorry! AHHHHH! OW! AHH! STOP IT, PL-AHHHHHHHH!" I hollered.

He paid no attention to my cries. He just kept going until my legs and thighs had red welts all over them. By the time he finally stopped, I was a sobbing, blubbering mess.

"Apology accepted," Edward crooned. "If you ever take anything of mine again without permission, I will whip you longer than I had just now. And if you ever take one of my pictures without telling me, I will burn it. Do you understand me?"

"Y-y-yes," I cried.

Shooting me a dirty look, he stormed out of the room and slammed the door. I crawled onto the bed and wept bitterly, rocking back and forth. Why? Why did he do this to me? I didn't want him to love me, but why didn't he love me enough not to hurt me? To accept that Carlisle and I were soul mates and leave me alone? Oh, I just wanted to go back home!

_September 18th thru 24th_

After that day, it seemed as if everything had decided to go from worse to even more worse. Edward did not return to our bedroom that night. However, I saw him the next morning. He apologized for what he had done, but I wouldn't hear it. He noticed that I didn't believe him (yet again) and was glum for the rest of the morning. _  
_

He tried to make up in another way, though. When I was hiding under one of the beds, he came to the room I was in. I was beyond surprised when he placed five pictures in my hand. The first one was the photo of Carlisle that I took the day before. The others were of Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie.

"If you wanted one, you should of just asked. I would had given it to you," Edward had whispered in a soft, kind voice.

"Uh...thanks," I had mumbled, distrustful of this act of generosity.

"You are welcome. And you may keep the pictures. I know that you miss them. Now you can see them, in a way," he remarked.

"Thanks," I repeated.

For a while, I thought that everything would be okay. But later that night, just as I was preparing for bed, Edward told me that he wanted to have sex. Of course, I said no and that I didn't want to. Before I knew it, I was struggling in his arms as he raped me. This time, it didn't hurt, but there was a little bit of discomfort from time to time. Other than that, I-thankfully-felt nothing.

And if things weren't bad enough, Edward's friends gang-raped me the day after.

Scene: It was a few hours since I had had lunch. I was just wandering around the upstairs hall mindlessly when Brad, Daniel, Jerry, and Victor showed up.

They did not say anything to me at first. They just went their rooms for a minute, then came back out.

Victor stood in front of me. So did the others. "Hi there, girlie," he smiled. He always called me that.

I nodded politely to them. I made to step around them, but they blocked my path.

"Excuse me, please," I declared. I moved to walk around them again, but Victor laid a hand on my arm to stop me.

"Aw, come on girlie. You know what we want. We missed you. Help us out here," he requested.

I yanked out of his grasp. "Sorry. Not in the mood."

He took my arm again. "Don't be rude now. Where are your manners?"

"Let go of me!"

I attempted to jerk away from Victor, but he held me tight. I kicked him in the shin, and he doubled over to clutch his leg. As he did that, he backhanded me. I plowed into the wall before I was grabbed and thrown onto the floor. Brad undressed me, and suddenly, their mouths and hands were all over my body.

"You taste delightful, girlie," Victor announced before sticking his tongue out to lick my pussy while circling my unresponsive clit with his thumb.

Daniel was holding me down, so I was unable fight them off. He, Brad and Jerry fingered and sucked my breasts. I wept and pleaded, but they wouldn't get off of me.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I bellowed.

Victor motioned for the others-except Daniel-to stop, then crawled upwards. With an evil grin, he shoved himself into me. I let out a broken sob. Why were they doing this to me?

"Mmmmmmm. Ughhhhh," he hissed. "We need to do you more often, girlie. Even with a condom on, you feel so good."

"Please," I implored, tears sliding down my face. "Please stop. Please let me go."

He pecked me on the cheek. "We will when we are finished. Don't cry. We won't hurt you anymore. We will be nice and gentle."

As if that would make any difference.

Once Victor had came, Jerry was next, followed by Daniel and Brad. Afterwards, they slid my clothes onto me before running downstairs. I faintly heard them say something about Tanya being next. I didn't understand why they didn't bother her more than they bothered me. Tanya was more beautiful than I was for all she felt cold.

I did not cry anymore, just laid there numbly for an indefinite amount of time. Then I picked myself up from the floor and took a shower.

I was certain that Edward knew what they had done, but he never mentioned it. He didn't even seem to be angry with his friends. I couldn't understand why he didn't save me. After all, when I had first knew him, he saved me from four guys who were planning to gang-rape me in Port Angeles. Why didn't he stop his friends like he stopped them? I _hated_ him for not doing anything.

Over the next four days, it continued. If I thought that my first six days here were bad, it was nothing compared to the ones that followed. Edward still raped me once or twice a day _every_ day, and he still allowed his friends to do so as well. But now it was worse; they wanted me to perform sexual acts with them. And no matter how much I despised it, I had to do it or else pain would be involved. Edward had used the strap on me once for refusing to ride Jerry like a cowgirl, but he did not beat me with it as long or as roughly as he had the last time.

Also, it looked as if Edward craved more from me too. On the night of the 20th, when he was forcing himself on me yet again, he ordered me to moan for him.

"Moan for me, Isabella," he repeated softly, pinning my wrists to the mattress.

"I don't feel anything," I grumbled. I was in a very irritable mood having to deal with this.

Edward moved faster. "How about now?" he questioned.

"No," I replied sullenly.

"Be serious, love. I know that you must."

"Well, I don't."

He sighed. "Come on, Bella. Just tell me in some way that it feels good to you," he pleaded wearily.

Groaning, I muttered, "Fine, I'll fake it then. Are you happy now? Proud?"

Edward sighed once more. "No, Bella. I don't want you to fake it. I want you to seriously mean it."

_Which means that I'll have to fake it_, I thought. "Fine," I snarled. If I kept stalling, it would only make him angry. He was already losing his patience. I began to moan and tried to sound as convincing as possible.

It was good enough for him; he smiled brightly. "Yeah, you like it, don't you? Would you like more?" he panted.

"Yes, Edward," I lied in a dull voice.

"All right, then. Hold on to me," he commanded, letting go of my hands.

I hesitated, so he took them and placed the on his shoulders. "Do you love me?"

I did not answer.

"Say that you love me, Isabella."

No response.

Edward sighed again. "At least tell me that what you feel for me is forever," he implored.

Well, my hatred for him would last forever. I suppose that that counted. "It's forever," I mumbled.

He groaned. "Fuck, Bella. Say that again," he breathed, slamming into me over and over.

"It's forever," I repeated.

"Louder." He kissed me on the lips before I could stop him.

"It's forever!"

"LOUDER!"

"IT'S FOREVER!"

"OHHHHHH YES, BABY! SAY IT ONE MORE TIME!"

"IT'S FOREVER!" I bellowed at the top of my lungs.

Abruptly, Edward reached his orgasm. "UHHHNNNGH!" he growled.

He rode himself out before climbing off of me.

I turned away from him. I loathed myself for obeying him, but I was scared of what he might do.

Everything that I was forced to endure sent me into another depression. This one was much worse-it was almost like the near-catatonic depression I had suffered the previous year, when Edward and his family had left Forks. This time, fury added to my depression, along with the aching desire to get one of them back. Just one of them would do. As the saying goes, if you touch one, you touch all. I hated every single of them.

When I did not feel numb, I was upset or afraid. I cried most of the time now. I was hardly able to eat. Like on the first day I came here, I did not taste anything...not anymore. I was always tense from constant fear. Whenever someone touched me, I jumped. I was easy to startle.

My skin had turned paler than it had last time. My eyes looked even more dead and there were dark shadows under them. My voice was emptier. I couldn't stand to glimpse at myself in the mirror any longer. The only thing I saw was a ghost of my former self. I hated the way I appeared in it, and I hated me. I looked so ugly, so bruised. So weak, so disgusting. And that was how I felt. I did not understand why they wanted _me_. One morning, in a fit of rage, I threw something at my mirror and broke it. Then I turned around and broke Edward's. I never wanted to see myself again. After I collapsed onto the floor in a heap and wept stormily.

Edward heard the glass breaking, and when he found me, he thought that I had gotten hurt. But there was not a scratch on me. Thankfully, he did not ask what happened. He just laid me on the bed and cleaned the room.

Despite all of this, I tried make things better for myself. First, I had established a few rules.

1.) Just do whatever Edward or his friends tell me to do.

2.) DO NOT ARGUE OR YELL BACK. I will not win, even if I am right.

3.) DO NOT FIGHT BACK. Once more, I will not win. I will only be overpowered and lose the battle.

4.) DO NOT wander the hall, whatever you do. The consequences of breaking any of these rules will be pain and grief more often than not.

The fourth rule was created after I had been caught several times lurking in it again. If Edward's friends saw me, they would push me face-forward onto the wall and molest me. My hands were pinned to it, so there was nothing I could do to stop them. I could only sob quietly as they pressed into me from behind and rubbed my breasts, ass, thighs, and in between my legs.

Because of this, my dreams were full of their hands, including Edward's. They were disembodied and crept over the bed and my skin. They reached out, snatched me, and groped every inch of my body. Sometimes they would hold me down, and their penises would appear. I knew (without trying or have to guess) which was which. They would enter me, hurt me as they thrusted in and out of me, or shoved themselves in my mouth. Then I would see their smirks, and that was when I woke up screaming.

I could barely look at Edward or his pals anymore. Every time I glanced at them, all I could see was their privates, hands, and bright, lust-filled eyes. It seemed as if they were always directed at me, whispering, "Psst! Come here. I want you." It made me feel sick, and I threw up several times. When Edward asked me about it, I would just tell him that I had an upset stomach.

If Edward's friends wanted me when I was not around, they searched for me. I would hide from them, and I was grateful that Edward never told me where I was. In fact, he told them not to bother me.

On the 21st, I had also came up with a plan of what to do if Edward raped me or pimped me out to one of his buddies. It simply was to pretend that I wasn't there or distract myself. And it worked. It did not matter if they were on top of me or not. I would just look over their shoulder and stare at the ceiling or the wall. A TV screen would pop up (I know, I was honestly becoming weird in the head) and flip to certain shows or movies. Or, I found myself in another place where I was alone. If I was told to do something, I would snap back to reality for a minute to obey them. But after that, I was lost in my own world. I reveled in my escapes.

Victor noticed that I did not seem to pay attention to them and voiced his concerns to Edward. "I'm starting to believe that she's not all there," he concluded.

"Perhaps she is just lost in the pleasure," Edward grinned.

_You wish, you bastard_, I said to myself.

_September 25th_

I felt nauseous as soon as I woke up. I ran to the bathroom, and luckily I made it to the toilet before I hurled up the contents of my stomach. Edward pulled my hair out of the way and stroked my back.

"You still have upset stomach?" he inquired sympathetically.

Nodding weakly, I got up and brushed my teeth.

He pursed his lips. "Do you want some Pepto Bismo? Or would you like Brad to see if something is wrong?" he asked.

"Uh-uh. I feel fine now. Very hungry, actually," I responded. Then I blinked in amazement. I haven't been hungry in days!

Edward exhaled deeply. "All right, but this has been happening for two days now. Upset stomach normally doesn't last for more than two."

"I'm fine," I insisted, walking into our room. "Is it time for breakfast yet? I'm so hungry!"

He peered at me in surprise, then at the clock. "No, but it will be in less than a half hour."

I inclined my head. "Okay. I'll just wash up then."

After showering quickly, I headed for the kitchen in a rush.

Edward laughed as I bolted in. "Slow down, baby. We _are_ going to feed you," he chortled.

I ignored him and sat down at the table.

Minutes later, we were given our food. I didn't realize that I had put ketchup on my eggs-which I never did-until Edward brought it up.

"I thought that you detested eggs with ketchup," he remarked.

I shrugged. "It tastes good now," I commented.

He rose his eyebrows. "If you say so," he murmured, his eyes widening.

My plate was cleared ten minutes later. Edward and his friends were alarmed.

"Bella, are you _sure_ that you are feeling okay?" Edward demanded skeptically.

"Of course I am," I stated truthfully.

"Do you feel sick? You ate your food rather quickly."

"No."

Squinting at me, he grabbed my chin and looked me over. Then he made me face Brad. "Does Bella look ill to you?"

Brad shook his head. "No, but she looks as if she hasn't gotten enough sleep lately," he observed.

Turning back to me, Edward queried, "Are you tired?"

"No, but...I feel hungry again. Is there more food?"

"...Yes. Do you want another helping of eggs and bacon? I'll get it for you."

"Please?"

When I was done with my next serving, I asked for another. By the time I was finished with that one, it felt as if my stomach would explode. I was so full. Everybody was really staring at me by this time.

Edward narrowed his eyes at me again as he put my dishes in the dishwasher. "If you feel sick later, tell me. But I will let you know right now that if you do, it is your fault."

I harrumphed. "Whatever."

For the most part, I stayed in our room all day. Edward checked on me from time to time, which annoyed me. I kept telling him that I was not sick. I was being honest, but he didn't believe me. After he had done this for five times, I snapped.

"Can you leave me alone? I feel great! Well, I did until you started bothering me!" I yelled at him.

"I was just being certain that you are all right. You have no need to lose your temper!" Edward shot back.

"Oh! But when you lose yours, everything is okay! I'm supposed to just let it go!" I retorted in a mean voice.

His jaw dropped. "What is wrong with you, Bella? You have been out of sorts lately." He did not look angry, just worried and concerned.

I roared in frustration, and he jumped. "_Nothing_!" I bellowed.

"Yes, there is. Please tell me."

"NO! I'M OKAY!"

"But you are screaming at me..."

"That's because you are irritating me! Just leave me alone and go away or something!"

He actually turned to leave. "All right, then. You can just stay here."

"FINE!" I shouted.

"Fine!" he growled back.

And he slammed the door.

When he was gone, I shook my head to calm myself. Why had I gotten so upset?

Throughout the day, I had periods where I was desperately hungry. It felt as if a wolf was in my stomach. I ate so much that it was ridiculous. I even woke up in the middle of the night and devoured all of the leftover chicken. Edward was both appalled and astounded. He also seemed to find everything hilarious.

The nausea did not return until the following morning. It looked as if I had thrown up all of the food I had eaten. But afterwards, that rabid hunger returned.

I took naps more often, and the dreams that I had were different. They were full of crying, but it wasn't me crying. Oddly enough, it sounded as if...as if it were a baby crying.

My moods fluctuated wildly, and I couldn't control them. I snapped at Edward at least three or four times a day, but he didn't hit me. Instead, he would just gaze at me in bewilderment. His friends were also on the receiving end of my wrath, and Edward had to prevent them from slapping me.

All of this went on for a week. The hunger, moodiness and fatigue. Edward, who was more firmly convinced that something was wrong by this time, put foot down.

"That's it, Bella! I am going to have Brad give you another check-up!" he declared.

I argued with him, saying that I didn't need one. However, he did not let up and carried me to Brad's room while I kicked and screamed.

"Do you want me to administer the strap? You are acting like a child!" he hollered.

Not wanting him to do that, I grew limp.

Brad looked up as we entered his room. "Hello, Mr. Cullen. What can I do for you?" he questioned.

Edward placed me in a chair. "Bella won't admit that something is wrong with her. She has been throwing up in the morning every day of this week, and she is moody and tired all of the time. Something is out of place here, because this has never happened before," he replied.

Brad scowled, and there was a knowing glint in his eye as he peered at me. "Bella? Is that true?" he inquired.

"Yeah," I huffed.

He gazed at me some more. "When were you supposed to have your...your period?"

My eyes widened as I thought this particular question over. "On the twenty-second or the...the twenty-third. I'm late! I'm almost two weeks late!"

Suddenly, Brad threw on his jacket. It was cooler now that it was the beginning of October. "Mr. Cullen, I need to borrow the rope. I need to go to the store. I won't be long."

Edward gave it to him, and we remained his room until he came back a half an hour later. He handed a bag to me.  
There were eight pregnancy tests inside.

"Just use them, and whether or not they come back positive, we will have to go to the clinic in town," he admonished.

Trembling, I went to the bathroom and Edward came with me. I followed the instructions that was on the pregnancy test's box. Once I had used all of them, there was nothing that we could do but wait. When the specified time had passed, I went to check the results.

Edward, who had already saw them, became stiff with shock. He looked as if he had been struck speechless.

I hastily grabbed the all of the pregnancy test.

All of them had double bars.

I wasn't the only who was shocked and speechless.

Oh, my God...Oh, my God...

I was...I was _pregnant_.

(A/N: **PLEASE REVIEW!** _The more, the better_. Let me know what you think! Oh, the craziness! When will it all end?!)


	8. I Will Do Anything To Protect My Baby

**Bella's POV**

I was reeling as I buried my face in my palms. I felt dazed, as if someone had hit me in the head.

Of all things, how...how could I be _pregnant_?! Edward's friends used condoms, and they never tore-Edward had always made sure of it. This could only mean that Edward was the one who had gotten me pregnant. But how?! He told me that vampires were never able to have children!

Oh, my God! What was I going to do? What would my baby be like? I never heard of a human-vampire hybrid before, and neither had Edward. I doubt that even Carlisle, our family, Tanya, or the Denalis knew of any either.

Unconsciously, I rubbed my stomach, then frowned. Edward, who was watching me, looked concerned.

"What is the matter, Bella? Is your stomach hurting?" he queried.

I shook my head. "N-No. It feels okay. Something is weird, though," I murmured, getting up to look at my belly in the mirror.

"That's impossible!" I whispered.

A baby bump was poking out of my abdomen. How could this be? I was only two weeks late, and it looked as if I were about three or four months pregnant! I didn't get it. I was never late before.

How was this possible? Was everything supposed to happen so quickly? I did not understand. What this some type of hoo-doo pregnancy, like the one on _Seed of Chucky_?

I pinched myself over and over. I was certain that I was dreaming. However, the pain in my arm told me that I wasn't.

Edward came over to me and patted my stomach lightly. "This grew very fast. I wonder why I didn't notice it before."

I snorted. "You're telling me."

He exhaled deeply. "We had better go to the clinic soon. But not today; we will go early tomorrow morning. If we head there now, we will be waiting all day for someone to see us."

"Yeah, that's true. Well, I'm tired. I'm going to lay down for a while and think. I need to try and grasp all of this."

"Okay, then. Go ahead. If you need anything, just let me know. I also have some thinking to do."

I did not reply, just walked into our room and settled myself on the bed. I massaged my temples. _What was I going to do?_ I thought over and over again.

For a while, I laid there in a stupor. I couldn't get over the idea of my being pregnant. I wasn't ready to have a baby. In fact, I never planned to have any.

But I knew one thing. Now that I am going to have a baby, I did not want to have an abortion. No matter what, I couldn't kill a baby, especially when it was my own. Of course, I knew that I did not conceive my baby out of love, but that was neither my fault nor my baby's. I didn't even blame Edward for getting me pregnant. In this case, I couldn't. _He_ didn't know that this could happen any more than I did. I rubbed my stomach again, this time lovingly.

I grinned to myself. I loved my baby already. I didn't care how it was brought into the world or if it was also Edward's (although I wished he/she was Carlisle's.) He or she was mine too.

Abruptly, my smile faltered. Now that I had decided to keep my baby, how was I going to protect it? Being in this house was too dangerous for me, what with Edward and his friends. If they hit me in the wrong place once, my baby was done for. I wrapped my arm around my belly. NO! I couldn't let that happen!

I knew now what I had to do. As much as I hated it, as much as I despised it, I couldn't fight them any more. Oh yes, even with the rules that I had set up, I still rebelled. I did not want them to think that they could just walk all over me. Not that it really mattered. They were bigger and stronger than I, and there was nothing that I could do to stop them once I was in their clutches.

I also had to do what they told me to do-really had to-even if I hated it and I didn't want to. This wasn't about me-this was about my baby. I did not care about me so much anymore. All I truly cared about now was him or her. I would do anything for my child, especially to protect it. I just wanted my baby to be happy and to be surrounded by kindness, generosity, and love. It did not matter to me if I was not, as long as he or she was. My happiness was not too important to me.

Some time later, I heard the door open. Then I felt the bed dip beside me. "Honey?" Edward mumbled.

Honey?! Was he talking to _me_?!

"Bella?" he whispered.

I turned over and gave him an inquiring look. "What?" I demanded, but not in an unkind voice.

He sighed and rubbed his face with his hand. "I have been thinking..."

I quirked an eyebrow. "And...?"

Edward exhaled once more. "I do not believe that it would be a good idea to have the baby. I never heard anyone conceiving a vampire-human hybrid child, so we cannot be sure how it will effect you. Well, we know one thing. You are going through an accelerated pregnancy. I am certain that that can't be good," he stated.

The blood drained from my face. "Edward, NO!" I yelled, grabbing his collar in desperation. "Please, Edward, please let me have my baby. I don't want to have an abortion! I want my baby! I love him or her already. Besides, it's not just my baby. It's yours too! Would you really want to kill your own baby?"

It was apparent that I struck a nerve. He thought this over with a troubled, guilty expression. "No," he responded slowly after a few moments. "I could never do something like that. I could never kill any child, especially if it is mine. I suppose that we may have it..."

Sighing with relief, I embraced him for the first time in many weeks. Normally, I wouldn't have, but I was just so delighted. "Thank you, Edward. Thank you for understanding!" I cried.

He patted my back. "However, if something goes wrong, I'm afraid that we will have no choice but to take the appropriate actions. But I hope that that doesn't happen."

I groaned, but it was better than nothing. At least he wasn't asking me to get an abortion. Besides, he was right-something could go wrong in the future. Nothing terrible had happened yet, but if it did, I could be unable to have my baby. I cringed at the idea of it, but smiled after a moment.

I could have my baby!

Edward grinned at me in return and kissed me on the cheek. This time I allowed him to. I did not want our child to think that I hated his or her father. I didn't want him or her to hate his or her father either. I wanted my baby to love him and think that he was a good person, no matter what he had done to me. I could never love Edward back because he hurt me. _But_, it was important for me to _try_ to get along with him, at the very least.

So when he kissed my cheek again, I reluctantly smiled again. "We still have to go to that clinic, though, and make sure that everything is okay. We also have to see how far along you are. Have you been late before?"

"No, never," I replied. "Just this month."

"Yes. You would have known if you were before. For the record, that baby bump is larger than it was a half a week ago. It came up at the beginning of last week, but I thought that you were getting a pot belly, what with all of the food you have been eating," he joked, nudging me.

I gave him a dirty look. "Oh, shut up. Don't you dare think of calling me fat," I muttered, causing him to laugh. "Speaking of food, I'm hungry!"

Edward's mouth fell. "You're hungry?! You just had breakfast a little more than two hours ago!"

"I don't care! I'm hungry!" I remarked.

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, then. What would you like?" he questioned.

"Something deep fried and greasy."

Edward peered at me sternly. "Now, Bella. You know that you need to eat healthy to make sure that our baby will be healthy too."

I roared in exasperation. "_Edward Masen_! If you don't make me something to eat RIGHT NOW, I will have a fit!" I shouted.

"All right, all right! Jeez! Two burgers coming up. Happy?"

I beamed. "Yes, quite happy!"

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Edward pecked my forehead and went downstairs. It wasn't too long before he came back with two cheeseburgers on a plate.

I moaned in longing. "Thank you," I said fervently.

I let the burgers cool off before wolfing them down. I could have given Jacob and his friends a run for their money; it took me less time to eat them than it took for Edward to fry them.

"Damn, Bella! You must be raising a monster in that stomach of yours," he teased when I had finished my food ten minutes later.

"Edward, shut up," I commanded irately.

"I was only kidding, honey," he murmured.

As soon as he left to take the dishes to the kitchen, I felt sleepy. I laid down and was out like a light almost immediately.

When I woke up, the sun was casting long, golden shadows on the wall. I looked at the clock. It was 6:23. I went to the bathroom before heading downstairs. I was hungry yet again!

Edward chortled as I skidded to a halt in the kitchen. "Right on time! You have to be famished. I could hear your stomach growling from our room," he smirked.

"Be quiet," I huffed, sitting down at the table. Why did he have to keep making fun of me? Couldn't he see that I found it annoying?

He just laughed while Victor served the meal. "Someone is grumpy today."

"Shut _up_," I growled through clenched teeth before spearing my fork into my steak.

Edward chuckled some more, but thankfully left me alone. His friends snickered, but became silent when I glared at them. Edward trembled with inaudible laughter.

(Next day-October 3rd, just so's you know)

Edward, his friends and I were all dressed by eight o'clock the next morning. They made sure that they had everything that they needed before we left the house. Tanya, who was also coming with us, stood by the trail.

"Hello there," she greeted us.

"Hi Tanya," Edward and the others returned. I nodded politely.

After exchanging more pleasantries, we made our way to the cliff. Then Edward tied a rope to a boulder and threw it over the edge of it (the cliff.) Soon, we had all climbed down to the other trail. I breathed in the smell of the fresh air. It felt good to be outside after being cooped up for so long. I grudgingly had to admit that Edward was right-I did need to get out more often. Well, maybe I will if I make my mind up to it.

We made our way down to the van. This time, Edward drove and allowed me to sit in the passenger seat. Tanya was going to sit in the back with the guys.

The trip to the clinic was not long, only about fifteen minutes. Edward yelled to his friends to wait in the vehicle while we took care of business. Then he stepped out of the van and walked around to open the door for me.

"Come on," he ordered, taking my hand as I jumped out.

The waiting room was practically empty. Only a few people were sitting there. Edward laid a hand on my back and steered me over to the window. A nurse was residing behind it, typing something on a computer. But she looked up as Edward and I approached.

"Good morning. How may I help you?" the nurse queried in a strong Scottish accent. She stared at him as if he were an angel or a god.

"Good morning. My girlfriend here, Isabella Swan, found out that she is pregnant yesterday. We want to see how far along she is and if everything is all right," Edward proclaimed.

"Do she have medical insurance? If not, I am afraid that she will have to pay," the nurse admonished.

Edward shook his head. "No, she does not have her insurance card. But I have money to pay for everything. How much will it be?" he inquired.

The nurse told him and he gave her a stack of bills. After counting them, she nodded and handed me a clipboard of documents. I sat down to fill them out, then gave them back to her. She smiled and told me that a doctor would see me shortly.

I read a magazine as we waited. Finally, after about an hour and a half, another nurse poked her head into the room. "Isabella Swan?" she called.

"That's me," I announced as I stood up. Edward did the same.

"Good morning. I am Dr. Paltz. Would you please follow me?" she asked with a cheery smile.

She led us to another room. "Just wait here for a moment. I will be right back with your folder."

I nodded.

A few minutes later, she came back. "All right, now let's see," she murmured to herself, scanning my files. "Oh yes. Well, we will find out how long you have been pregnant, and then you will have a physical. Let's get to it, shall we?"

Then she took us to another room and did an ultrasound. I was grateful that my bruises and welts had faded into nothingness days ago. That would take some explaining to do. Afterwards, she instructed us to head back to the other room while she got the results.

It did not take too long for her to receive them. When she came back, she perched in a chair across from me with another smile. "Well, it looks like you are about nineteen weeks pregnant."

Edward blinked in surprise as I gaped at her in utter astonishment. "Three and a half months? Are you certain?"

"Yes, I am quite certain. Your baby is fine and completely healthy. Now, let's proceed with your check-up."

Once she had, she nodded in approval. "You have been keeping yourself healthy too! Everything is fine. I am glad to see that. All right, I want you to come back in three weeks..."

"I beg your pardon, Dr. Paltz, but I am afraid that we will be out of town by then. We are going back to the United States in a few days. We are only here in Newton Mearns on vacation," he explained.

Dr. Paltz inclined her head in understanding. "Well, when you are there, I would still recommend for you to see a doctor. Now, Miss Swan, I want you to continue eating healthy. Do not take medicine because it can harm your baby. Here is a brochure. It will explain how to take care of you and your baby. You may leave now. Good luck with everything, and congratulations! I know that your baby will look like the best of both of you!"

Edward and I shook her hand before checking out and leaving the clinic.

As we headed over to the van, I turned to him. "Are we really leaving in a few days?" I questioned.

"No. I only told her that because we are not ever going back. We can't. I don't know when you are going to give birth, but with this accelerated pregnancy, I know that it will be soon. How much sooner, I do not know. But we cannot go back...it will be too suspicious. Dr. Paltz will wonder why your stomach grew so big that fast. We have to go to Glasgow to pick up some medical supplies. It won't take long to get there, only about twenty-five minutes at the most. We will also stop at a bookstore to purchase a book on parenting. Brad can also buy one on birthing procedures. He may already know how to do it, but I don't want to take any chances. But if he can't do it, I can. I watched Carlisle help women give birth several times. He even showed me how to do it."

Edward opened the door for me. I stepped in and he climbed in seconds later. He drove onto the street and took the north road out of town.

Before I knew it, he was parking in front of a building. "Wait right here. I am going to take Brad with me. We won't be long."

He got out of the car, and I heard him open the back door. I watched as he and Brad entered the building. More than a half hour later, they came out with huge boxes and bags. They lugging them into the back with the others, then Edward climbed in.

Our next destination was the bookstore. He went inside by himself this time and came with five minutes with another bag. After that, we returned back to the house.

By the time we were over the cliff, I was starving. I raided the kitchen's refrigerator as soon as we walked through the door.

"Fuck Bella!" Edward exclaimed. "It is not even lunchtime yet! Can we get into the house properly before you steal all of the food?!"

"Nope!" I replied, beaming at him.

"Wonderful. Now, I have to go shopping again," he grumbled.

"Good! Bye-bye! Return with a lot stuff to munch on!" I declared.

Rolling his eyes, Edward headed upstairs.

Once I was done eating, I went to our room. Edward was there reading a pregnancy and parenting book. He looked at me and grinned. "Are you finished stuffing your cheeks?"

I laid down with a grunt. "Shut up, Assward."

He threw his head back and laughed. Normally, if I said that, he would probably smack me or beat the living piss out of me. "Enough of that, honey. Our baby doesn't need to hear you talking like that."

"But you just said 'fuck' several minutes ago, so you shouldn't talk. You are just as bad if not worse."

"True, but you have no cause to repeat what I said."

"Shut up!"

"All right, I will, but only because you will probably pitch a fit."

"Damn right."

We read the pregnancy and parenting book for a while. It was very interesting and straightforward, not too hard to understand. After that, it was time for lunch. I ate so fast and so much that I was certain that I looked ridiculous. Not that I really cared, of course.

I took a nap when the meal was over. I was going to read the book again with Edward, but I dozed off. I usually did-I always seemed to get sleepy when I was done eating lunch.

When I woke up a couple of hours later, Edward was gone. He left a note telling me that he was going to the market. The pregnancy book was on the side-table drawer, however. Since there was nothing else to do, I read some more of it until dinnertime.

Edward had long since returned to the house-he was in the kitchen when showed up.

"Good evening, Miss Out-of-control Hormones," he smirked.

"Don't play with fire, Edward, or you're gonna get burned," I muttered as I perched on my chair.

He and his friends snickered.

"Good one," Edward commented with a laugh.

I shot him a fake smile. "Thanks," I returned sarcastically.

After dinner, Edward and I headed back upstairs. I was so full that I thought that I would explode. I was tired and wanted to rest. When I made myself comfortable on the bed, I rubbed my stomach.

"Did you have enough food?" I whispered to my baby affectionately with a chuckle. "Mama loves you."

Suddenly, I felt a jolt from the inside of my abdomen. It did not hurt, but it caused me fold in half.

Edward looked worried. "Bella? What's wrong?" he demanded.

I straightened. "The baby...I think...No, I don't think, I _know_...that it kicked me. Either that, or it punched me or moved."

"Oh really? Let me feel!" he implored.

I moved my hands so that he could lay his head on my belly. His expression lit up when it thumped him. "Our baby is going to be a strong one. Just like you."

"Yeah," I agreed. I had to be strong to face with all of the shit that he and his friends had put me through.

Edward kissed my baby bump. "Hi there, little one. I am your papa, and I can't wait to finally meet you. I love you so much," he cooed. I could tell that he _really_ meant it, and I was overjoyed. At least he loved our child.

The baby moved again. We laughed quietly, and for a moment, things were almost the way they used to be for us. Almost, but no. It never could be anymore. I sighed.

"What happened to you, Edward?" I asked morosely. "You used to be so kind, but after you left with Tanya, you changed for the worse. I don't even know who you are anymore. You hurt me and treated me so hatefully."

Edward's face fell. "I know, and I am sorry. And I understand how you feel about me. Truly, I do. I know that you will never believe that, but I just want to let you know that I am. I really don't know what has come over me. My temper is always causing me and others grief, especially those I love and care about," he stated, sighing as well. Then he took my hand. "But I am trying very hard to learn to control my temper. It's not easy, but soon it will be. Just give me a chance. Please," he begged.

I narrowed my eyes at him, deliberating. Perhaps I could give him one. He looked as if he was being honest about what he said...this time, anyway. Not that he never seemed to mean it, but for _just this once_, I was willing to believe him.

"All right...I will give you a chance to learn how to reign in your temper. But it _will_ be your last, and it is only for our baby that I am doing this. If you ever hurt me again, or our child, I will _never_ forgive you or accept any of your apologies. I wouldn't even _consider_ giving you a chance if I weren't pregnant. You _will_ treat me with respect. You _will not_ hit me, _or_ share me with your friends. They hurt me too. I want us to get along for the baby's sake, and we need to start getting along _now_. Do you understand me, Edward Anthony Masen?" I demanded firmly.

He gave a crooked smile. "Yes, of course I do. Besides, I wouldn't dream of risking your anger, especially now with all of those hormones."

"Edward! _S__hut up_ about the hormones already!"

"Okay, okay! Sorry!"

"You better be."

"I am."

"Wonderful."

Edward shook his head at me. "Little meanie," he grunted playfully.

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up," I hissed. I patted my stomach. "I apologize that you had to hear Mama and Papa bantering, baby. Your father is just being annoying."

The baby kicked as if he/she agreed.

"Hey, Edward, our baby said stop being an irritating vampire and leave Mama alone before we both jump you."

He chortled. "Whatever you say." He pecked my cheek.

For the rest of the evening, neither of us did very much. We were mostly quiet unless we talked to our baby. Every time we did, the baby would move or kick me.

"Maybe it likes to hear our voices," Edward remarked.

I nodded. "Yeah, maybe."

When I was ready to go to sleep, I changed into my nightclothes before climbing into bed. Edward wrapped an arm around my hip.

Shifting, I complained, "Let go of me. You're making me cold."

"Oh, I apologize. But I need you. Turn over."

There was no need to do this-he did it for me. I groaned as he ripped off my panties, but I didn't fight him. That did not mean that I wanted to, however. I didn't want to at all. I didn't hold him either. I just tried to keep calm. It would harm my baby if I stressed myself out. And anyway, I did not want to risk Edward's temper. Then again, he didn't want to hurt his baby, and he wouldn't.

Would he?

I just laid there and folded my hands under my chest when he entered me. He grunted as he began to thrust in and out of me. I did not feel anything, but I moaned when he asked me to. Well, fake moaned anyway. Of course, he couldn't tell that I did.

"Yes! Yes! You love it, don't you!" Edward half-hollered.

"Mmmmm, oh yeah! It's..._ugh_...it's so good!" I screamed, lying my ass off. "Faster!" I added, wanting him to get this over with as quickly as possible. I was tired! I wanted to sleep!

"Certainly," he moaned, picking it up a notch. "Tell me that you love me again."

I grew quiet, knowing that I couldn't say it. But I had to, even though I knew that I wouldn't mean it. I placed my hand on my belly. My baby. I had to protect him/her-that was my number one priority.

Closing my eyes, I prayed for strength before opening them. "I...I...I...I love you," I lied as I swallowed back tears of regret.

Edward gazed at me with adoration before kissing me deeply. I did not kiss him back, but he didn't seem to realize it. "I love you too, Isabella. Cum with me. Say my name."

Obediently, I squeezed my walls around him. "EDWARD!" I bellowed, pretending to fly over the edge.

"BELLA!" he growled. He rode himself out before collapsing on his side.

I turned over. I hated it. I hated having to lie and pretend to do something, or feel an emotion that I did not. But I loved my baby more than I hated to do any of that.

As I mentioned before, I would do anything to protect my child, no matter what it was. Anything.

XXX

Over the next few days, my baby bump expanded so fast that I swore that I could literally watch it grow. By the end of the week, Brad told me that I was the equivalent of six months pregnant. (He and Edward had bought an ultrasound machine in Glasgow, among other devices that they would need. They had it up in one of the spare rooms, along with a hospital stretcher.) I was happy about that: The morning sickness had gone away by the middle of the week. Still, I could not believe it. Six months already! And it has only been three weeks.

Edward and I were also told what the gender of our baby was. It was a male. We were going to have a son! Edward was wild with delight, but then again, so was I. I wished that Carlisle was here. I missed him so much.

"I want to name him!" he proclaimed.

Being in one of my irritable moods, I told him no. "Because I'm going to name him," I stated when he asked why.

"No! Let me do it!" he pleaded.

"Oh, come on, Edward. I want to! Please," I begged.

"Well...you can do the middle name," Edward conceded.

I sighed, but nodded and grinned. It was better than nothing.

He rubbed my stomach. "I will name him Edward, after me and my father," he announced.

I had a feeling that he would. Of course, I wouldn't have, but it was his son too. He did have a right to give him his name. "Edward, it is then. As for his middle name, I want it to be...Jacob," I declared.

Edward made a face, as if he would said no.

I jutted my bottom lip out pleadingly.

"...All right, if you insist. Edward Jacob. It has a nice ring to it," he mumbled thoughtfully.

"Mmm-hmm. We can call him EJ for short," I added.

He inclined his head, then kissed my abdomen. "Well, little guy. It looks like your name is Edward Jacob Cullen!"

I laughed. "Yes, baby. But your papa and I will call you EJ. Do you like that nickname?" I cooed.

EJ kicked me, and I swore that I heard him giggle in approval.

"Sounds as if he likes it," I noted.

Edward chuckled and rubbed my hand. "We are going to have a baby boy!" he declared with excitement.

I returned his smile wanly.

To my astonishment, he had kept his promise of not losing his temper. I knew that it must have been difficult. When I was in one of my moods, I had often yelled at him, or said rude things to him. I called him terrible names. However, he remained in control.

He treated me like a queen for the past week. He did everything I asked (or told) him to do. He waited on me hand and foot and spoiled the shit out of me. I still did not love him, but with the way things were going, I was almost friends with him. At least we were getting along.

Thankfully, his friends did not bother me. Edward had made it clear-on no uncertain terms-that if they wanted sex, they had better ask Tanya for it. Either that, or jerk off. He himself had stopped raping me, and I was grateful for that.

"But you cannot ask her to 'help' you anymore. If you do, you will regret it. She is the mother of our child. It is my job to make sure that Bella and our baby is safe from harm," he concluded.

"Nice speech, coven leader," I commended sardonically, rolling my eyes. But I was happy that I wouldn't have to deal with them.

Edward just snickered at me.

In the meantime, I had kept to our bedroom. I spent the days reading children's books to my son (of course, I didn't know that he was our son at the time) and talking to him.

"I am going to make sure that you have a wonderful life. I will make sure that you have whatever you need and that you will have the best of everything because Mama loves you. Mama loves you more than anything. I know that Papa does too," I whispered to EJ, rubbing my stomach.

Edward also spoke to him. He would also sing to him and play piano music for him. Our son apparently enjoyed it; he kicked me and rolled around a lot.

Nothing made me more delighted know that Edward truly did love our son. Perhaps being a father would help him turn over a new leaf...well, help him do this more. He was very much like his old self now. Still, I did not want to take too many chances. I did not trust him completely quite yet.

Anyway, let's return to the present.

I slowly climbed off of the hospital stretcher. My back ached as it often did now. EJ was continuing to kick me. It hurt a little. "Settle down, EJ," I cooed half to myself.

He must have understood because he stopped moving.

Edward lifted me up. "Tired? Do you need to rest?" he queried.

"Yes. Just take me to our room, please. My back hurts," I said.

"Okay, let's go," he announced.

When I was gently placed on the bed, Edward laid next to me. "Comfortable?" he inquired.

I nodded. "As comfortable as I can be," I sighed.

He pulled me close to him. "Why don't you take a nap? I'll be right here."

"If you say so."

I closed my eyes and was asleep in minutes. In my dreams, I could hear EJ's soft, peaceful breathing, as if he were napping as well. He sounded like he didn't have a care in the world. Well, as long as I was here, I would make sure that he didn't.

_October 8th to October 14th_

The next week went by as rapidly as that last one did. My stomach ballooned to an enormous size. EJ's kicks, which did not hurt too much in the beginning, caused me a great amount of pain now. He seemed to be so restless.

The constant hunger, moodiness, and fatigue that had plagued me at the start of my pregnancy had prevailed. In fact, it had gotten to the point where it had become haywire. I always seemed to be famished, tired, or upset. I craved sex often, but I didn't want it from Edward.

I cried a lot too. I wanted to go home. I missed everyone, especially Carlisle, more than ever. Were they still looking for me? I hoped so! I would be heartbroken if they had given up on me. But that wouldn't happen because I knew that they wouldn't. Ever.

No matter how much or how often I ate, though, I had grown thin, weak, and paler. Edward put me on bed-rest to save my strength.

"You are likely almost ready to give birth. That is probably why you are feeling like this. Look at your belly. You have to be at least eight months now," Edward observed on Wednesday.

"Quit talking, and just give me that fucking plate, Dickward!" I commanded, snatching it from him. Then, in asides to EJ, I muttered tenderly, "Excuse my language, baby. Mommy slipped again. Sorry, Edward."

Edward snorted, not offended by my dirty mouth. "Yep, you are definitely almost ready."

By now, we had gotten the baby clothes, enough to fill a department store. They were various sizes, since we didn't know how big he would be. They were all different colors too, except pink, lavender, and orange. We had also bought the crib, a car seat, toys, pampers, bottles, etc. We had to get them in Glasgow because we did not want to risk being seen by Dr. Paltz. She would notice that something was out of place.

"I wonder who our baby will look like," I remarked on Tuesday evening.

"He will look like the best of you and me, as Dr. Paltz told us," Edward whispered.

I giggled. It felt nice to laugh; I really had since I had been forced to come here. "That's probably true," I breathed.

On Saturday, my belly had stopped inflating for good. It took a while for us to be certain of this because it always seemed to be growing. But Brad told us that it did.

"She has reached nine months, but she is not in labor yet," he told Edward. "Let me know when she is."

"Don't worry. You know that I will," Edward stated.

(October 15th)

Edward and I were relaxing on our bed again. I was skimming through a book while he was listening to music on his IPod. His arms were behind his head and his eyes were shut. It was mid-morning. The sun was out and it was warm. A light breeze occasionally tugged on the curtains.

"If I weren't on bed-rest, I would go outside. The weather is beautiful today," I commented aloud.

"Mmm, it is," he agreed, opening his eyes. "It's too bad that you rarely have before. The area surrounding the house is magnificent. You would like it."

"Sure is. Perhaps when EJ is born, I will take him out with me. We wouldn't go far-we would only stay in the yard. He would probably love that."

I peered out of the window longingly for a moment, then turned my attention back to the novel I was reading. Edward closed his eyes again and went on listening to the classical stuff that he adored.

I had thrown the novel aside minutes later, and was reaching for another, when I began to feel strange. Nothing hurt, but something was just...odd. I felt lightheaded, as if my brain had been stuff with wool.

Then, abruptly, I had an urge to pee.

"Edward, I need to go to the bathroom," I mumbled.

He picked me up right away. As he did, my bladder let loose. A clear, gooey liquid spilled onto the bed. The covers were drenched in seconds. We gaped at them in alarm.

And then a bolt of pain erupted from my stomach. It hurt so bad that I screamed. My yell brought Edward back to reality. He sprinted out of the room.

"What's going on?! ARRGH! WHAT'S GOING ON?!" I hollered as another shot of pain charged through my abdomen.

He kissed my forehead. "It is time," he declared.

(A/N: **PLEASE REVIEW!** The more, the better. I apologize if this chapter went by too fast for you, but I hope that you still found it good. I will post Carlisle's POV in the next chapter, or the chapter after next, so that we will see what is going on on his end. Ciao! I will update ASAP!)


	9. Edward Jacob

**Bella's POV**

"Brad! I need you right now! Bella is in labor!" Edward announced as he dashed into Brad's room.**  
**

Without a word, Brad rushed past him. Edward followed his closely as I started to kick and thrash in agony.

"It hurts!" I moaned. It felt like my abdomen and vagina were being split open.

Kissing my cheek, Edward laid me on spare room's stretcher. "I know, honey. Don't worry, little EJ is going to be in your arms soon enough," he murmured. Then he glanced at Brad, who had hooked me up to one of the machines. "How far along is she?"

He checked the screen. "Damn! She's already five centimeters. This is happening too quickly, so we need to act now. I'm going to give her some morphine, and once the pain is gone, she will be ready to push," he declared.

Brad rummaged around in a shelf before taking out a small bottle and a needle. He placed the tip of it into the cap and a clear liquid filled the syringe. Then he injected it into my leg.

It was a couple of minutes before the excruciating pain started to fade. Thank goodness for small favors. Once it had done so completely, Edward took my hand and laid a napkin on my forehead. "The baby is three centimeters now. You need to push, or else we will lose our son to oxygen deprivation."

I immediately grabbed the bar of the stretcher with my other hand and pushed with all of my might. Brad, who was crouched at the foot of the bed, looked up at me. "I can see the head. Push again," he instructed.

With a grunt, I obeyed him.

"Excellent. The head is out. Don't stop now, Bella, keep going!"

"But I'm tired..."

"I know, but the baby has to come out. Come on, we only need a few more pushes."

I squeezed Edward's arm before heaving as strongly as I could. Then I gave another a few seconds later.

"Very good, very good. We have half of his stomach. Let's go, Bella. A couple more, and then we are done."

After taking a breather, I pushed again and again.

Edward smiled at me in reassurance. "Almost there, honey, almost there. Just one or two more," he stated.

"Okay, okay! Just stop smiling in my face, you ugly bastard!" I yelled, irritated at all of the constant urging.

"Whoa! Watch it, there are children present!" he reprimanded.

"SHUT UP!" I hollered, then gripped the bar before heaving once more.

"That's it. Give me another push and then you can rest," Brad muttered.

I pushed one more time, and he exclaimed, "There we go!" as a loud wail pierced my ears. I slumped onto the bed panting, feeling sweaty and worn out, but overjoyed as well. Edward was as happy as I was.

Brad clipped the umbilical cord, then cleaned him before wrapping him up in a blue blanket. My placenta detached as he was doing this, so he had to put the baby down to remove it. After that, he cleaned himself up before laid my son in my arms with a grin.

I nodded to him before turning to EJ. He had the same curly, mahogany-brown hair that I did, and stared back at me with my own chocolate-brown eyes. He also had my chin, but his ears, hands, and feet were Edward's. His skin was pale, but much warmer than a human's. However, it was not as warm as Jacob's or his friends'. His cheeks were a healthy rosy color. His palms and the bottoms of his feet were tinged with pink. My son was _beautiful_.

He was finally born! Tears of joy ran down my face.

As I peered at him in awe, EJ's gaze switched from questioning to calculating. It seemed as if...as if he were trying to figure me out. Then, a moment later, he smiled brightly at me. It was such a spectacular one. His eyes glimmered and his face illuminated. He looked just like me when he smiled, except that he didn't look like a girl.

I beamed at him. "Hello there, Edward Jacob Cullen. I am your mama. I'm so pleased to finally meet you!" I whispered, kissing his cheek twice.

EJ smiled at me again and cooed.

Then Edward leaned towards him. "Hi EJ. It's me, your papa. I am also delighted to meet you," he remarked in a soft voice, placing a kiss on his forehead.

Narrowing his eyes a little, EJ studied him closely. He grinned somewhat hesitantly at him seconds afterwards, but his eyebrows were furrowed, as if there was something about Edward that puzzled him.

Edward turned to me. "May I hold my son, please?" he inquired.

I bobbed my head and he took EJ gently out of my arms. I watched as he cradled him, an expression of rapture on his face.

He glanced up and smiled at me. "He looks just like you, Bella," he observed before shifting his attention back to EJ. "You look so much like your mother. You are going to be a handsome boy when you grow up, little guy," he cooed in baby talk. Then his head leaned to the side. "He has a heartbeat too, and it is very fast. Faster than a human's. I would never have guess that a human-vampire hybrid child could have blood."

I blinked in shock.

Abruptly, the door was thrown open. Daniel, Jerry, and Victor entered the room, as well as Tanya.

"Hey. We heard that you had the baby," Daniel pointed out matter-of-factly.

Tanya squealed. "Oh, my God! He is so handsome! He resembles you to a tee, Bella."

Edward chuckled. "Yes, he certainly does. Would you like to meet little Edward Jacob, our son?"

"Can I? Please?" she begged.

He stood up and walked over to her before carefully placing EJ in her arms. I truthfully didn't want her to be anywhere near him, but I was too exhausted to be rude.

Gazing at him closely, she laughed. "Little EJ has very thoughtful-looking eyes. It makes me wonder what he is thinking about," she commented, kissing him on both cheeks.

I was unable to see EJ's face much, but I noticed that he was giving her that pointed stare. After a minute, he smiled at her in...acceptance?

Minutes later, Daniel patted Tanya's shoulder. "Can I hold him now?"

Tanya handed EJ to him. However, when she did, EJ took one look at Daniel and began to sob loudly.

"Aww! Don't cry, little EJ! Shhhhhh," Daniel mumbled, but EJ did not calm down. He kept wailing even when Brad, Jerry, and Victor held him.

"Jerry, give EJ back to Bella," Edward commanded. "He probably wants his mama."

He did as he was told. As soon as EJ was in my arms, he stopped crying, just like that.

I threw my head back and chortled. "I guess that my son only likes a few of us," I joked.

Everyone laughed with me.

When I turned back to EJ, I saw that he was grinning at me. "What's so funny, hmm? What's so funny?" I asked playfully, smooching his forehead.

He cooed, still smiling.

"EJ likes your laugh," Edward explained from beside me.

Snickering, I gave EJ another kiss. This time, a distinctive, cute little, "Ha ha!" resounded from him. This caused us to laugh again.

Without warning, my mood changed. I found myself wishing that Carlisle and the others were here. They would have _loved_ to meet EJ, even if he was Edward's child as well as mine. I wished that Charlie could be with me too, but it would take a lot of explaining to sum up how EJ was born in just a few short weeks. I did not understand how this happened myself, still.

I sighed morosely, my grin faltering. EJ scowled at me in bewilderment. Then his lips poked out as if he were going to cry once more.

Kissing his cheeks, I murmured, "Don't cry, baby. Mama is fine."

EJ whimpered and I smiled at him half-heartedly. It was enough for him to return it.

Nobody said anything for a while, but EJ cooed at times.

After fifteen minutes, Edward hugged me with caution. "I am so glad that we are finally able to hold our son. And I am very proud of you, Bella. You and EJ. I love you both with all my heart."

He placed a smooch on EJ's forehead before kissing me on the temple. I rolled my eyes and my face fell. I almost wished that I could tell him that I loved him too, for our son's sake. Unfortunately, I could not say that I did without it being a lie, so I just nodded.

EJ must have noticed how sad that I was; his looked as miserable as I did again. There was also concern and worry in his pensive eyes. Before I knew what was happening, he reached up and grabbed one of my curls. His eyes appeared to be asking a question as he tugged my hair softly.

I gave him a wistful smile. "Mama's okay," I reassured him, feeling the need to give him an answer for some unknown reason. But now, it was my turn to be confused. EJ was only a newborn, and he already seemed to be so...perceptive. As if he could read my mind as well as everyone else's. However, I did not think that it was that-that he could read minds. This was something else altogether.

Perhaps I will ask Edward about it later.

**Carlisle's POV**

_Same day, 1:00pm in Forks_**  
**

I was hunched against a wall in my office, consumed with depression. My throat was sore from thirst; I hadn't hunted for more than a week. But I was too withdrawn into myself to think about it or care. I did not leave the house. I kept to my office, not doing anything besides answering phone calls.

It had been more than a month since Isabella had vanished. Me, my family, and Charlie had discontinued our search for her in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Canada, and California about three weeks ago. We had not found her in any of those locations. _  
_

Nevertheless, we kept looking for her. Alice and Jasper were supposedly trying to find Isabella in Montana and Wyoming. Emmett and Rosalie were believed to be search for her in Nevada and Utah. Eleazar, Carmen, and Irina were thought to be in Arizona and New Mexico. This was to keep Charlie from getting suspicious.

However, Kate and I secretly knew that they had already gone there. Unbeknownst to Charlie, they had all traveled as far east as Wisconsin, Illinois, and Tennessee. They stayed in hotels during the day and searched for her by night. So far, they had not located her. _Where could she be?_ I often asked myself desperately. Did Edward still have her? Was she even alive, or was she...? I shook my head. I did not want to entertain that idea.

I would have gone with my children and cousins, but I had decided to stay here. I wanted to be here in case Isabella returned, or if Edward brought her back, which was very unlikely. But I prayed for a miracle, and I did not care how ridiculous or far-fetched it was. I just wanted Isabella in my arms again.

Charlie was also doing whatever he could to have her found. By now, the award was set at $60,000. He had called the police departments in other states as far as the Midwest, so that half of the country was looking for her by this time. But there was no word on her at all.

If it were not for Kate, I am certain that Charlie would have had a nervous breakdown weeks ago. She kept him pieced together. Their friendship had grown stronger, and even though he admitted that he liked her very much, he did not want to date until Isabella was back home. He was too frantic and stressed out to think of anything else, but I knew that he thought about Kate as much as he did Isabella. She was his soul mate after all.

Renée and Phil had came to visit us. Her condition was worse than Charlie's, and Phil was not far behind her. They assisted him with the phone calls. They had even contacted Florida's police department. They figured that he could use the extra help. The parents of Isabella's friends and classmates, and Forks in general, were also doing everything they could for Charlie.

Jacob and his friends were no longer searching for her. It was not because they did not care to anymore, but they had stay in La Push. It was their duty to protect the tribe. Jacob told me that he "would help more if he could, though." He wished me the best of luck and told me to let Isabella visit after she was found. I assured him that I would.

"What will we do if don't find her anywhere in the United States?" Alice had queried imploringly one day.

"Keep looking for her, of course. You could travel through Mexico and Central America in the evenings. If she is not there, look for her in South America. Eleazar, Carmen, and Irina could even return to Alaska and see if Edward is there," I responded in a tense voice.

"All right," she sighed. Then she told me that she loved me and bid me good-bye.

Overall, it was a hectic time for those who cared for and/or loved Isabella. Hopefully, with an entire town and half of the country helping her family and mine, we will find her soon. Wherever Isabella was, I prayed to God that she was not being harmed in any way. I also asked Him to take care of her and to have her found as quickly as possible. I needed her terribly, and I wanted her to come home.

Please, Isabella. Please be all right. I just need for you to be okay. We are coming for you, wherever you happen to be. Just hang on for us.

Please.

**Bella's POV**

_Picking up from the last POV_**  
**

It was not long before EJ had gotten hungry. I lifted my shirt to breastfeed him. However, my milk would be dried up after a couple of days. We were going to see if EJ could drink regular milk or baby formula.

When he had had his fill, I raised him up to my shoulder and patted his back gently. EJ burped louder than I had expected him to.

Everyone chuckled as I laid him in my arms. "Well, don't you have a big appetite! Did you have enough?" I cooed to EJ.

He smiled at me and laughed again. I kissed his cheeks. They were so round that I couldn't resist it. "I love you, baby," I murmured, caressing his hand.

With bright eyes, EJ wrapped his fingers around mine. It was as if he understood what I had said. Then he yawned and snuggled into me before drifting off to sleep. I held him for a while, then Brad placed him in one of those things that they put babies in in a hospital's maternity ward.

I gazed at him lovingly before shifting my attention to Edward. "Um...Edward?" I began tentatively.

"Yes, Bella?" he questioned.

I pursed my lips thoughtfully. "Can EJ read minds like you do? He seems to be rather perceptive for a newborn. It's like he knows how I'm feeling just by looking at me."

Edward nodded. "Yes, he is. But I do not think that he can read minds. He would be able to read yours, but because you have a mental shield, I cannot, so neither could he. Remember?"

"Mm-hmm, yeah." I was lucky that I did.

"This likely means that he has a gift of perception. I will have to ask Eleazar to be sure of this when we return to Forks."

"And when will that be?"

"I am not certain. Maybe at the end of December or the beginning of January. I want us to stay here a little longer so that we can adjust to parenthood. But we will go home soon."

I turned a hopeful face up to him. "Really?" I inquired.

He grinned at my eagerness. "Yes, really. I know that you want to. You miss your father and our family, and I do too. We need to see them and introduce them to EJ. Well, not to Charlie, but definitely the others."

I wished that I could believe him.

Pretty soon, I had become tired and settled down for a nap. Having a baby really took it out of me, not that I minded or cared. I slept dreamlessly for once, much to my surprise.

The first thing that I heard upon wakening was a gurgle and Edward's voice. I opened my eyes to see that Edward was still next to me. He was holding EJ and singing to him. I looked around me. His friends and Tanya were not there. The sky was dark; it was 9:32.

Edward must have noticed that I was up because he turned to smile at me. "Good evening," he whispered. Then he grinned at EJ. "Look, son. Mommy's awake!"

I chuckled. "Hey," I said wearily with a yawn. "How long was I asleep for?"

"About six hours. EJ had woke up about a half an hour ago. I changed his diaper. He will probably be hungry soon," he stated.

"Mmm," I grunted. "Can I hold him?"

He nodded before placing him in my arms very carefully. I kissed EJ's forehead. "Hi there, baby. Did you dream about Mama? Were you missing me while I was napping?"

EJ grinned as if he were telling me that he did.

"Do you like your papa's crummy singing?"

"Hey! I'm not that bad!"

I rolled my eyes with a smile. EJ chuckled.

I had to give him another kiss. He was too adorable! "I love you, Edward Jacob."

EJ shot me a gentle smile and cooed.

"You are going to spoil him rotten, Bella," Edward laughed lightly.

"Oh, I know, but don't pretend as if _you_ won't do the same," I added.

"I _know_ that I will, trust me. There is no denying it."

When EJ was hungry some time later, I fed him again. Then I held him close and whispered loving words to him. Edward joined in, breaking into song and clapping often. I would hum along to his tune. EJ smiled and giggled, reaching up to take my hair in his hands. He would coo as if he were trying to sing as well. Edward and I laughed at his attempts.

"Very good, baby," I praised.

It was a long while before I grew exhausted again. I waited until EJ had dozed off after telling him that I loved him once more before going to sleep myself.

Things were looking up for me, not to mention my newborn son. For the first time since I had been brought here, I did not dread the morrow. I was actually looking forward to it, with excitement and curiosity.

(A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! The more reviews, the better. What did you think of everything? I hoped that you liked the chapter, even though it is shorter than the others. Yay! Edward Jacob is born! I'm so glad that he is in the world!)


	10. My Son Loves Me!

**Bella's POV**

_8:00am_

The next morning was cloudy and rainy. However, the gloomy weather could not dint my eager spirits. I wiped my eyes before checking my surroundings.

Edward was standing by the door, having a conversation with Brad. EJ was sound asleep, his breathing deep and even.

"Oh, she's awake," Edward proclaimed. He walked over to kiss me on the cheek. "Good morning, Bella. Are you hungry? You must be...you had hardly eaten anything after giving birth to our son."

"I know. I was too excited to," I grunted as I sat up carefully. "You're right, I am hungry."

He nodded. "All right. I will go and cook something for you. I won't be long."

About fifteen minutes later, he came back with a plate of eggs and toast with tea. I thanked him politely before eating.

I had just completed the meal when I heard a tiny yawn. I looked to my left and saw that EJ had woke up.

"Hi Mama's boy! It's wonderful to see you!" I greeted with a squeal.

He smiled and laughed loudly.

"Edward, get EJ. I want to hold him," I stated with a chuckle.

"Certainly," he responded.

When he moved to take EJ out of his basket, he scowled in bewilderment.

I could tell by his frown that something was out of place. "Uh, Edward? What's wrong?" I demanded.

He turned to me. "EJ appears to have grown overnight," he replied. And he lifted him up to show me.

My jaw dropped as I took him in, and I had to blink several times.

EJ did not look like a newborn infant anymore. Instead, he looked as if he were now one or two months old. His hair had grown a little thicker and more curlier. How did he get so big that fast?

I gaped at him in astonished confusion before mentally shaking myself out of my reverie. Then I cleared my throat, reminding Edward that I wanted to hold EJ.

Once he had placed him in my arms, I kissed EJ on the forehead. "Well, good morning! Looks like somebody grew up a little while we were asleep!" I noted.

Cooing, EJ grabbed my hair and pulled it softly.

"Is he hungry, Edward?" I queried.

He narrowed his eyes at our son for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, very. You had better feed him before he starts to cry," he warned.

"Well, then. Don't mind if I do."

I breastfed EJ, then held him for a little while. "Soooooo, what are we going to do today?" I asked nobody in particular.

Edward chuckled. "_You_ will not be doing anything except laying in bed until the day after tomorrow. You need your rest, and your health needs to be monitored and taken care of. After that, you may do whatever you please."

Sighing with irritation, I pouted. "Great. Another two days of unrelieved boredom."

"That's not true. You can play with EJ when he's not eating or asleep, and I can bring in your books."

"Yeah. Thanks."

For the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon, none of us did very much. Other than feeding EJ and playing with him, there was not much to do, except talk to Edward. Which, of course, I was not in the mood to do.

After lunch, EJ and I took our naps. I felt so weary that I fell asleep before my head landed on the pillow.

The remainder of the day and all of the next were the same. I fed EJ while Edward changed him. We played with EJ and sang to him. I read books when my son was taking his naps. Edward had even brought a TV in the room, but I couldn't find anything that I was too interested in watching.

Much to my surprise, I was actually having _fun_! I couldn't believe it; fun was not a concept or even a mere thought since Edward had kidnapped me. I found myself laughing more often, especially when I played "Peek-a-boo" with EJ. Or when I showed him his toys, like his teddy bear and rattle. He also enjoyed it when his father and I lifted him in the air; he giggled quite a lot.

What also astonished me about my son was how big he was getting. If he looked as if he were one or two months old on the day after he was born, it seemed as if he were three to five months old on the third day. I could practically see my baby growing!

This growth spurt didn't just shock me, it shocked everyone else as well, including Edward. We were all amazed, too, when he began crawling on the third day. I nearly had a heart attack when EJ eased himself out of my arms before crawling tentatively on the bed!

"If this keeps up, EJ will probably be an adult in just a few years," he stated.

Dismay crept into me. I hoped that this wouldn't happen. If it did, then he would likely become middle-aged all too soon! I did not want to think that my son would have less time on Earth than his own father did, or I had so far. Of course, I may have been wrong about this. Maybe after a while, he will stop growing and never become old. I prayed that this would be so.

When I went to bed on the third night, I couldn't help but smile. I was glad that I wouldn't be on bed-rest anymore. At least, not for a while, I hoped. There was not much to do in that bedroom when you had to lay down practically all the time. The only time I left it was to go to the bathroom or wash up.

(_Fourth morning-October 18_)

I was fully awake when I got up. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and took in my surroundings. EJ was not there, laying in his basket. Edward wasn't either, but Brad came in the room a minute later.

"Good morning. How are you feeling?" he queried.

"Not bad. Where's Edward and EJ?" I asked.

"They're in the den. I bet that you're ready to get out of here."

Snorting, I mumbled, "Am I ever."

Brad nodded with a grin. "Okay then, well, I will just give you one last check-up. If everything is all right, then you can wash up, dress, and have breakfast."

He then told me than he wasn't going to prescribe any medications for me to dry up my breast milk. He said that I would risk getting a heart attack or a stroke. However, he offered some advice on other things that I could do since I couldn't.

After that, he proceeded with the check-up. Thankfully, it didn't take long. Brad said that everything was fine and I was cleared to go. I went to the room that I shared with Edward and took a nice, long shower.

Breakfast was more than an hour away, so I headed for the den. I could hear Edward talking in a low voice and EJ chuckling. Opening the door, I found them sitting on the couch by the window. They looked up as I entered the room and smiled brightly at me.

The first thing that I noticed was that EJ had grown once more. He now looked as if he were about six months old. And he had grown all of his teeth!

Edward bounced him on his knee. "Who is that coming? Who is that?" he inquired.

EJ turned to him while pointing at me and biting his finger. I halted in shock. When did he learn to point?!

Inclining his head, Edward repeated, "Who is that?"

"Mama."

I gasped in utter amazement, and Edward did as well. Neither of us could believe that our son had just said his first word! And he said it so clearly that one would think that he had been saying it for months!

When I had recovered, I sprang forward.

"Oh, my God, Edward! He said 'Mama'!" I exclaimed happily. I gently took EJ out of his father's hands and kissed him over and over again. "You know who I am," I added to my son in a whisper.

EJ grinned and tugged my hair, which he loved to do. "Mama," he sighed affectionately. Then he leaned forward and placed a wet kiss on my cheek. Afterwards, he laid his head on my shoulder.

"Awwww!" Edward cooed.

I felt so touched that I almost didn't know how to react. "I love you too, EJ," I stated after a moment. I gestured to Edward. "Who is that?"

EJ pointed at him, then lowered his arm. "Papa," he responded.

Wild delight filled Edward's expression. "He's knows how to say 'Papa' too!" he half-yelled.

He tried to take EJ in his arms again, but EJ wouldn't let him.

"Mama," he announced, tightening his grip on me.

"Come on, son. Come to Papa," Edward implored jokingly.

"Mama!" EJ insisted.

I smiled. "Oh, leave him alone. He wants to be with me," I added.

Laughing softly, Edward obeyed. "All right, then," he conceded, placing a smooch on our son's cheek. He kissed me on the lips afterwards and hugged the both of us carefully. "Now I have the two of you in my arms."

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. But I allowed him to keep embracing us. EJ cooed quietly.

Wrapped up in Edward's arms, I had no idea of what to think. I certainly did not him to be hugging me. It made me feel uncomfortable although I wouldn't have if I were anybody else. Or if he was Carlisle. If he were him, I definitely would have been in peaceful harmony. The only thing that kept me from moving away from his was my son, who was snuggling contentedly into me.

After a few minutes, he let us go. "All right. Let's go eat!" he declared.

"Yeah," I smiled, agreeing with him for once.

**Carlisle's POV**

_Noon in Forks_

I was in my Mercedes, driving over to Charlie's house. He wanted to search for Isabella again, even though we both knew that we would not have much of a chance of finding her.

My children and Eleazar, Carmen, and Irina were still traveling. I wasn't sure when they would be back, but Alice told me that they would stop by soon.

Kate was already at Charlie's, wanting to cook breakfast and lunch for him. She was there more often than she was at my house. I did not blame her for this, Charlie being her other half. Besides, I knew that she couldn't stand being at my place. My house was not large enough to contain my depression. I felt guilty for being such a terrible host.

With a sigh, I parked in Charlie's driveway. When I got out of my Mercedes, I walked over to his house and knocked on the door. He did not answer. I knocked again.

I did this for five times and he still did not get the door. I sniffed; both he and Kate were there. I could hear Charlie's breathing and heartbeat. Feeling perplexed, I looked for the spare key under the doormat. After finding it, I unlocked the door.

Nothing prepared me for what I saw next. As soon as I entered the living room, I saw Charlie and Kate sprawled on the floor, naked. Charlie was pounding into her while they kissed each other hungrily. When he moved away to give her some air, Kate's threw her head back with a moan.

I was so shocked that I was unable to move.

"Yes, baby!" Kate cried out.

"So tight. So fucking good," Charlie grunted.

That was when they noticed me.

"Oh shit, Carlisle! I am so sorry. I didn't hear you knock," he exclaimed as they quickly dressed. Kate gathered her clothes and dashed out of the room in embarrassment.

I unfroze. "Er...that's all right. I'll, um, just wait outside until you two are situated."

I turned and left the house to sit on the porch. I had to shake my head a few times to dislodge the memory of those two together.

Minutes later, Charlie appeared. "Hey. I'm sorry about that," he grumbled sheepishly.

Grinning weakly, I remarked, "It's all right. It was truly my fault. I should have left instead of invading your privacy. Um, I thought that you were going to wait?"

He pursed his lips. "I know, but...there is just something about Katrina. I don't know how to describe it. I feel as if I more than like her, if you know what I mean. I don't know if I can keep away from her."

"Well, she is a wonderful young lady. I cannot say that I blame you for feeling the way you do."

"Are you in love with Bella?"

Taken aback by this unexpected question, I did not reply immediately. I studied him before nodding carefully. "Yes...I am. Why?" I queried.

Charlie grinned. "I could tell that you were. I see the way that you look at Bella. I don't mind that you are, though. I can see that she is in love with you too. I can't say that I blame her. You're a very good person, Carlisle. She deserves someone like you, and I am glad that you two are together. She would be glad to know that you are helping me to do everything that I can to find her. I thank you for that."

"You're welcome, but I would rather be looking for her with my children and cousins."

"I understand how you feel. So do I, but you keep holding me hostage here," he laughed lightly.

I chuckled once. "I'm only doing it to help you," I pointed out.

"Yeah, I know..."

Abruptly, the door opened and Kate stepped onto the porch. "Hi Carlisle. I apologize for...well, you know," she murmured.

I waved my hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it anymore. It's fine. Just warn me not to come the next time you want to be alone with each other."

"If I remember to, I will. Trust me on that," Charlie vowed fervently.

"Good."

We exchanged a few more words before I mentioned my reason for coming there.

Charlie faceplamed. "Damn! I almost forgot about that. Let me just get my things, and we'll go."

Pretty soon, we were heading out of town in his cruiser. First we traveled to Port Angeles, then to Seattle, Portland, and Olympia. The trip took all afternoon and a good part of the evening. By the time we had returned to Forks, it was a little after nine.

"Thanks, you two. I appreciate your helping me again," Charlie sighed as we climbed out of the vehicle.

I grinned wearily. "No problem. Well, I am going to go home now. I'll see you soon. Are you coming along, Kate?" I inquired.

She shook her head. "I want to make sure that Charlie has his dinner. He would be nothing but skin and bones if it were for me!"

"Yes, I am certain that he probably would be," I agreed with a wave. "Good-bye."

"I'll have Charlie drop me off a little later, after he finishes eating," Kate called to me as I walked out of the door.

Snorting, I muttered, "And after you finish what you started earlier."

"Don't get singed, Carlisle," she growled in a low voice that Charlie would not hear.

With a laugh, I descended the porch stairs and stepped into my Mercedes. I arrived at my mansion in no time, and as soon as I was inside, I called Alice.

She answered the phone midway through the first ring. "Hi Dad..." she began.

"Now, hold on just one minute, young lady. Why didn't you warn me about what I caught Charlie and Kate doing this afternoon?" I demanded, but not in an unkind way. I was trying to make it sound as if I were making a joke out of it.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Alice stated earnestly, giggling partly in embarrassment. "But I wasn't keeping an eye on them, so I didn't know what happened until after you did. You know that I would have forewarned you if I was."

"I know. Any luck?" I queried.

There was a deep sigh. "No, not yet. But don't worry, Carlisle. We'll find her soon."

I bowed my head. "I hope so. I don't know if I can go on without her any longer."

"Huh. I know how you feel Dad. I'll call you later, okay? Jasper and I are about to go on another run."

"All right, sweetie. Good luck. I love you."

"Love you too. See ya." _Click._

I put my phone away and went up to my office. I laid that on the couch, stared at the ceiling, and prayed for morning.

**Bella's POV**

_Picking up for last_ _POV_

Once everybody was in the kitchen, Edward brought out five bottles. He also had baby food, like rice and bananas and oats and bananas.

"What is all that for?" I questioned with a slight frown as we sat down.

Edward perched in his seat and placed EJ on his lap. "I am going to let EJ sample everything to see if he likes human food or not. The white bottle has regular milk in it. The light blue one and the dark blue have two different baby formulas in it. Finally, the light red bottle has human blood in it, while the dark red one has animal blood," he explained.

"Uh-huh. And what are you going to start with first?"

"The milk and the baby food. Then I will let him try the animal blood and the human blood after."

"Mmm. Good luck."

He nodded and proceeded to do what he planned. EJ really liked the regular milk, but not the formula milk. When he tasted it, his face scrunched up tightly.

"Icccckkkk," he groaned as he did. Everyone laughed; we had to. His reaction was too cute and hilarious.

Next came the baby food, which EJ seemed to neither like or dislike. To our very great surprise, he _hated_ the human blood, but loved the animal blood. This caught me off guard. Edward told me once, before we had broken up, that he thought that human blood tasted much, much better than animal blood. Of course, he preferred animal blood regardless.

"At least we know what we can feed him now," I remarked. "So what are we going to give him now?"

"We'll let him have half of the milk, and some of the oats and bananas. Before lunch, I'll try to find more baby food that he may like," he responded.

Victor served us our breakfast while Edward heated up some food for EJ. He fed him while the rest of us ate. I wished that he had let me feed him instead. Maybe I could at lunchtime. He himself did not eat until EJ was finished.

For the most part, no one did anything but talk. I alternated between speaking to Edward and EJ. Brad, Daniel, Jerry, and Victor had their own private conversations. They also tried to play with our son, but when the did, EJ would glower at every one of them sulkily and distrustfully.

Daniel scowled in bewilderment when EJ glared at him. "Why is he looking at me like I'm a penishead?" he queried.

"_Hey_! Watch your mouth around my son! He doesn't need to hear any inappropriate or obscene language! Do you understand me?" Edward announced hotly.

"That's right. If my son picks up on any inappropriate words or phrases, I'll know who he had learned it from. And for the record, he's looking at you like that because you _are_ one," I grinned smugly.

Edward's gaze shifted to me as Daniel opened his mouth to retort. "And he doesn't need to learn about any rude, retaliatory behaviors either, Bella," he added.

I huffed. "Whatever," I mumbled. "Sorry, baby. Don't you ever say anything that Daniel had just said, or what I had just said," I added to EJ solemnly.

When we were done eating our meal, everyone disbanded. Victor cleaned the table before taking care of the dishes. Edward went to do something, so that left me to tidy EJ up. I didn't know where Edward's other friends went. Probably upstairs or to the living room as usual.

After the last bit of food had been wiped from EJ's face, I kissed him on the forehead. "There we are. Aren't you happy to be all squeaky clean?"

He cooed in return.

I picked him up and went to see where Edward had run off to. Once more, I found him sitting on the couch in the den. Underneath him was a box of toys. He beamed at us as we entered the room.

"Play time!" he declared. "I brought EJ's toys down. Come sit over here next to me, and the three of us will have some fun."

I walked over and plopped onto the cushion beside him.

We had showed EJ so many of the toys that I did not know how he would find the time to enjoy them all. But he did. He seemed to be especially interested in the matching toy cell phones that we had bought for him.

"People use these to talk to each other, EJ," I explained to him, picking one up. "You just dial these buttons with the numbers on them. They are zero, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine." I showed each number to him. "After that, your phone will call another person's phone. Their phone with ring like briiinnnggg, briiinnnggg, and they will pick up their phone and talk. Watch."

I motioned for Edward to get the other phone. After that, I dialed a few numbers as EJ watched. Edward pushed the button that made his phone ring. The sound made EJ turn to him.

Edward put the phone to his ear. "Hello? Who is calling?" he asked.

"This is Mama. Who is this?" I returned.

"This is Papa."

"Oh, hi Papa! How are you?"

"I am well, Mama. How are you?"

"Not too bad."

"What are you doing?"

"Just sitting here with little EJ."

"That's good. Well, I will call you later. I am busy right now. I love you, Mama. Good-bye!"

"Good-bye. I...I love you too, Papa."

Then I pretended to hang up our phones.

EJ, who had been paying avid attention to us during the whole conversation, reached up to Edward. Knowing what he wanted, he gave the phone to him. EJ turned it over in his hands and inspected it with curiosity. Then he looked at me with expectation.

Chuckling, I dialed a few numbers. Once I had done this, I pressed the ringing button on his phone.

He put it up the his ear like Edward and I had in our demonstration. "Eh? Oooh ehh iihh?" he babbled, smiling with excitement.

Edward and I threw our heads back and roared with laughter. He was just so smart and so cute!

It took me a while to recover before I could answer him. "This is Mama. Who is this?" I inquired with a giggle.

"EJ! EJ!" I yelled happily.

We laughed even more, but it did not surprise us much that he knew his name.

"Oh, hi EJ! How are you?" I continued.

He babbled again, then gave me another pointed look.

"I am fine. What are you doing?"

"Buh buh aye ehh gee gee."

"That's good. I will call you later, then. Good-bye, EJ! I love you!"

"G'aye! Luhh ooo koo, Mama!" He tugged my hair.

I lifted him up and kissed him over and over. Just that one statement filled me with immense joy. I knew that EJ loved me, of course. But to _hear_ him say that he did, and to _see_ that he really meant it, was something different all together.

"I love you too, Edward Jacob," I murmured.

When I had stopped hugging him, EJ gave me one of his smeary kisses. After that, Edward and I pulled more toys from the box.

"Now, what do we have here?..." I queried, showing EJ rubber duck.

(A/N: **PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!** Sorry for the long update. I meant to post this chapter much sooner, but I have been really busy lately. I am now attending at trade school, and I am often tired and sleepy after I come home. Either that, or I have homework and/or have to study. Plus, I had writer's blocks. Anyway, I hope that you still liked the chapter. I'll try to post another ASAP. Ciao!)


	11. Funny Moments & Surprise Proposals

**Bella's POV**

Over the next several days, EJ did not grow. It seemed as if his growth spurt had come to halt for a while. However, that did not stop him from developing mentally. By now, he was able to feed himself. He was also able to use full sentences and ask questions! And he was unusually articulate for a child who was only the equivalent of little more than nine months to a year old. He really knew how to use his words. He could also understand what he was told, or what people were talking about a part of the time.

"Pretty soon, we'll have to teach him how to read and write," Edward stated one evening before I went to sleep.

"Yeah," I agreed, sighing wistfully. "I can't believe how fast EJ is growing."

He chuckled. "Neither can I. I bet that you could never forget all of the things that happened last week."

With a grin, I shook my head, recalling every memorable event that had happened.

Scene #1: We were all eating dinner six days ago. Me, Edward, EJ (who was then five days old), and Edward's friends.

Everybody was having a good time. Edward was feeding EJ again, and I was helping him. His friends were taunting each other and throwing food at one another. That is, until a thin slice of meat hit Edward in the face.

"All right, that is enough. Settle down!" he ordered.

His friends stopped what they were doing immediately.

"Sorry, Mr. Cullen," Jerry mumbled.

They grew quiet except for Edward and I. We were trying to coax EJ into eating his puréed chicken and vegetables meal. He happily accepted it at first, but then he figured out that it was more fun to resist us. He had learned to do this from a TV program. Whenever the spoon approached him, he would turned his head the other way with a smile.

I chortled. "Come on, EJ. Please eat so that you can be healthy."

He only giggled and turned the other way when I offered him some more food.

"Oh, this one is trying to be funny," Edward implied.

This went on for a couple of minutes. After that, EJ submitted to letting us feed him.

"I am not going to play around anymore," he promised solemnly. "Besides, my food will get cold, and I _really_ won't want it then."

Everybody howled with laughter.

Scene #2: It was the day afterwards. All of us were having breakfast and Daniel offered to feed EJ. I did not want him to, but Edward let him.

So, Daniel proceeded to do so. However, it was obvious that EJ did not want him to feed him either. He crossed his arms with a sulky frown and pinched his lips tight.

"Aren't you hungry, EJ? Don't you want to eat?" Daniel asked in a pleading voice.

"Yes," EJ replied shortly. "But I don't want you to feed me."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't like you, penishead Uncle Daniel." (Edward had told him to call his friends "Uncle" out of respect.)

Even though I was horrified by this statement, I wanted to laugh. But I didn't, knowing that EJ would get the wrong impression if I had.

"_Edward Jacob Cullen!_" I announced, fixing him with a stern gaze. "I don't ever want you to say the word 'penishead' again. It is a bad word. And I don't want you to call anyone that word either. Do you understand me?"

Lowering his head in shame, EJ mumbled, "Yes, Mama. I'm sorry. I didn't know that it was a bad word. But you said that Uncle Daniel was that word because he asked why I was looking at him like he _was_ that word."

I smothered another grin. "Yes, but I was wrong to say that, and he was wrong to ask it. He was wrong to say that word too. But your papa and I told him and your uncles not to ever say that word around you again. And don't ever tell Uncle Daniel that you don't like him. It hurt his feelings. You have to be nice to him. He cares about you as much as Papa and I do. Okay?"

He nodded. "Okay, Mama."

That was the good thing about EJ. Once he learned that something was wrong, he never did it again as long as he remembered not to do it. Thankfully, this happened more often than not. This was, undoubtedly, another trait he had inherited from me.

Now that the situation was resolved, Daniel attempted to feed him once more. But EJ still would not let him.

"Uncle Daniel, I don't want you to feed me. I can feed myself," he protested. He yanked the spoon out of Daniel's hand with surprising strength.

"Edward Jacob, what did I tell you about snatching? Did I not tell you that it is rude?" Edward inquired sternly.

"Oh. Sorry, Papa." EJ handed to spoon back to Daniel, then folding his hands. "Uncle Daniel, may I please have the spoon so that I can feed myself?" he asked politely.

Daniel inclined his head. "Of course you can, EJ." He gave the spoon to him.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome." He scooped some of his food up and ate it with pride.

"Excuse me," I declared, leaving the kitchen. I ran to my bathroom and turned on the water before quietly laughing my ass off. That situation was really too hilarious.

In the midst of all of this, we had fun. Edward and I still played games with him. EJ now knew how to play hide-and-seek. Either Edward or I would hide in a place where it was easy to him to locate us. Then EJ would crawl around the room, looking behind or under the furniture while we asked "Where's Mama?" or "Where's Papa?"

When he found us, EJ would giggle and say, "I got you, Mama!" or "I got you, Papa!" After that, he would give us a smeary kiss on the cheek.

Coming back to the present, I smiled. "The last week really had been noteworthy," I said to Edward. "I wish that I could go back and relive it all over again."

"So do I. By the way, I know that you were laughing that day. When EJ had called Daniel a penishead, I mean. You are lucky that our son didn't hear you," Edward commented in a half-amused, half-reproachful voice.

"Oh, shut up, Edward. You _knew_ that it was funny," I shot back, rolling my eyes.

He laughed somewhat reluctantly. "Yes...I have to admit that it was. But it wouldn't never do to let EJ find this out."

"I know."

To my relief, Edward and I were still managing to get along. With the way everything was going, somebody would think that I liked him now. (Not in that way, of course, but as a friend.) This was not true, though. I did not love him either, although Edward was quite sure that I did.

Deep down inside, I still had not forgiven him for what he had done to me. Well, except for giving me our son, who I loved more than my own life. I did not trust him either. I was wary of him, making sure that nothing would turn him into monster that he had been prior to EJ's birth. I couldn't imagine what I would do, or what would happen, if he did. But I knew that it wouldn't be a delightful experience.

XXX

One afternoon less than two weeks later, while I was folding some laundry in my room, EJ ran in. He had learn to walk a few days ago, and now he was whizzing around the house like a firecracker. He was also a little bit taller; he now looked as if he were two years old.

I beamed at him. "Hi EJ. What are you up to?" I inquired.

"Nothing, Mama. I just want to ask you something," he responded, plopping down onto bed.

"You are full of questions," I chuckled, poking him playfully. He had asked me and Edward a good number of them lately. They were not stupid questions either. To be honest, they were actually rather insightful. I could not believe how smart my son was turning out to be at such a young age. Of course, this might have had something to do with his gift of perception. I was certain beyond doubt that it _was_ his gift by now, even if Eleazar hadn't told me so yet.

EJ laughed. "Mama, stop poking me. Let me ask my question. Please?"

I nodded as I laid a shirt on a tiny pile. "Sure, go ahead. You know that you can ask me anything."

He peered at me closely with those bright, intelligent, speculative brown eyes. "Mama...do you love Papa?"

Taken aback, I could only stare at him. "Of...Of course I love him. W-Why are you asking me this?" I asked him finally.

This was obviously a lie, but as I mentioned before, I did not want my child to think that I hated Edward. He would want to know why, and I could never give him my reasons. If I did, he would not understand them. Or, even worse, he would hate Edward too once I explained them. I did not want EJ to despise him. That would break Edward's heart, and as much as I loathed him, I didn't want that to happen. I'm not saying that Edward did not deserve this...maybe he did. Still, it was better to keep everything cheerful.

EJ shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it's because you never seem to be comfortable when Papa kisses you. Or when he touches you."

"I really don't mind that he does," I lied once more, returning to folding my clothes. I was unable to look at him. "I just don't like it when he does this around you or your uncles, that's all. I am a private person."

This answer satisfied him, and I was grateful that it did. I had wondered if he could tell that I was fibbing since I could not meet his eyes. I wished that I did not have to lie. It made my stomach ache with guilt.

"Oh. So you're saying that it makes you uneasy." This was not a question.

I laughed loudly. Damn, but he was as sharp as lightning. "Yes, that's right. It does make me uneasy."

"I have one more question."

"Yes?"

"Are you and Papa married? You two love each other, and you two are together, but I noticed that you don't have a ring on your wedding finger. Neither does Papa. How come?"

My jaw dropped. "_Where in the world_ did you learn about wedding fingers?" I demanded in complete amazement.

EJ looked sheepish. "I was watching someone get married on TV. Uncle Brad told me that the fingers that they put the rings on were the wedding fingers. It's this one, right?" He raised his left hand and pointed to the finger next to his pinky.

"Yes, that is the wedding finger." I sighed. "No, Papa and I are not married. We were going to get married, but never had the chance to," I explained. This, of course, was an honest reply.

"When will you get married?"

I exhaled deeply once more. "I am not sure. Soon, maybe. Why? Do you want us to get married?"

"Don't you and Papa want to marry each other?"

"Yes," I responded, half-lying. I was certain that Edward did even though he never brought it up, but I had no desire at all to marry him.

He smiled widely. "Then I want you to marry each other too. You two should...you both care for each other and love each other. But are we still a family even though you aren't married?"

"Of course we are. Unmarried couples with children are still considered a family, just as families with married couples are."

I kissed him on the forehead and put the clothes back my drawer. " And who knows? Perhaps Papa and I will marry someday," I remarked. Internally, I was hoping against hope that Edward and I never would. I couldn't imagine anything more terrible or sickening!

EJ leapt off of the bed. "All right, Mama. I'm going back downstairs now. See you soon."

"Have fun, baby."

He waved and left the room.

Later that night, when EJ was asleep, Edward came to me as I was reading a novel in our room.

"Good evening, Bella," he murmured.

I glanced at him briefly. "Hey," I returned.

He laid down next to me. "Can I talk to you about something? It is important."

"I suppose so, but can it wait until later?" I really did not feel like having a conversation with him.

"No. I want to speak to you now, please. Could you put down the book for a few minutes?"

With an exasperated sigh, I tossed it onto my side-table drawer. "Fine. What is it?"

Edward ran his fingers through his hair. "I heard what you and EJ were talking about earlier."

I harrumphed. "That's no surprise, you're a vampire. What about what we were talking about, though?"

Turning to me, he replied, "Everything, but especially about us not being married. It had me thinking all day. And now that I have pondered over it...there is something that I want to ask you."

"What?"

Edward took a deep breath. "I know that I had been an...an asshole and a monster to you before EJ was born, but I am sorry. I never meant to hurt you the way that I had. I saw how much what I was doing to you was killing you inside, and it destroyed me. I don't want to hurt you ever again, especially in anger. You have no idea of how much I love you. I know that you will never quite forgive me for what I had done to you, but I hope that you will one day. That is one of the reasons why I tried to change, besides that fact that I never to expose our son to abuse of any kind. I did it so I could make sure that I don't cause you any harm. So that you could forgive me one day. So that you could see how much I truly _do_ love you. I have changed. You cannot say that I have not, or that you haven't seen any improvements from me."

I eyed him shrewdly. "No...I can't say that I haven't, because you have," I noted cautiously. "But what does this have to do with what you heard EJ and I talking about?"

He grasped both of my hands. "Isabella...I was wondering if...if you would reconsider marrying me? For our son?"

I blinked, feeling utterly shocked. I was not expecting him to ask those questions. "Uh...well..." I spluttered, not wanting to say no. I did not want to upset him and risk his temper. "I will have to think about it..."

"What is there to think about? We should marry...we owe it to EJ. Besides, I still have my mother's ring. Jerry can legally produce a marriage certificate, and we can be married within in a week. He's a lawyer. Come on, Bella, please say yes," he implored.

"Um...well...this is too sudden. Can't we wait awhile...perhaps until next spring? I...I don't feel ready yet. I know that we have the makings of a family, but...I'm not ready for marriage. Not yet. Please let us wait. After that, we can do whatever you want."

Edward considered this before nodding with a smile, and I sighed inwardly in devout relief. "All right...that is a wonderful idea. I did not mean to rush you, but I wanted us to be married quickly for EJ."

I held up my hand. "You don't have to explain, Edward. I know."

"Okay. You can continue with your story. I am certain that you are desperate to finish reading it."

"I am, actually. Thanks."

XXX

Over the next week and a half, EJ continued to grow right before our very eyes, physically and mentally. Edward and I began home schooling him. Our son learned quickly, and now he was able to read and perform basic mathematical equations.

It was starting to get cold outside, so we had to fill our drawers with winter clothing. It was the almost the middle of November. The house was buzzing with the talk of Thanksgiving. No one celebrated it here in Scotland, but we planned to have a huge dinner. EJ was especially looking forward to it.

"Are we all going to eat a humongous turkey all by ourselves?" I questioned with excitement.

Edward scooped him up into his arms and tickled him. "Yes, we are. You could probably eat the whole thing by yourself with the appetite that you have," he joked. (Our son _did_ have a big appetite.)

EJ roared with laughter as he squirmed. "Papa, please stop! Put me down!" he begged.

All in all, it seemed as it everything was going swimmingly. EJ was living a happy life, which made me happy as well. More than I could ever imagine. The situation between me and Edward was still fine. He was still annoying at times, but other than that, I had no complaints. His friends did not bother me, and Tanya did not either. In fact, we were both starting to get along somewhat.

Then, after the week and a half had went by, the peaceful contentment was shattered. All of it...all of it...fell into dreadful, cureless ruin, and nothing was ever the same again.

**(A/N: PLEASE REVIEW!)**


	12. There Are No Words For This

(A/N: All I can say is, _please_ don't kill me after you have read this. Carlisle will never rescue Bella if you do. And no flames, please.)

**Bella's POV**

_November 15th_

EJ was now a month old. To celebrate this event, Edward took us all on a little hike through the woods. He had promised EJ that he would after our son asked us if he could explore it.

Surprisingly, the weather was warm enough for us to do this. Unseasonably warm for this time of the year. If it were cold outside, Edward wouldn't have even thought of taking us out. We probably would have celebrated in some other way.

Our son was really anticipating this hiking trip. He could barely keep still after Edward told him that we were going out today.

"Papa, you're the best! You have no idea of how long I wanted to do this!" he cheered, jumping so high that the top of his head nearly collided with the ceiling. I did not understand how he could do this. He was still short after all. Physically, he currently looked to be about four or five years old.

"Actually, I do. I can read your mind, remember?" Edward pointed out.

Once we had finished our lunch, EJ, Edward, and his friends and I prepared to leave the house. In spite of the weather conditions, everyone put on their warm coats and hats. After that, we left. Tanya joined us as we passed her cottage.

"Hello, everyone. Hi there, EJ!" she declared.

EJ smiled at her. "Hello, Aunt Tanya. How are you?" he inquired.

"I am fine, baby," she responded, ruffling his curly hair. By now, it had grown longer; it reached the top of his eyebrows in the front and halfway covered his ears. In the back, it covered the nape of his neck. "How are you?"

"Great!" he proclaimed. His excitement made us laugh. "I can't wait to see how this hike is going to turn out! I bet it will be fun and thrilling!"

And it was. As we walked along the trail, we discovered a little stream that eventually became a waterfall at one end of the cliff. The sun was shining, so the bottom of it was arched with rainbows. It was a very spectacular sight, and EJ was deeply fascinated by it.

"I never imagined that a waterfall could look this beautiful in reality," he whispered in awe.

We also happened to find a cave that was almost entirely hidden by trees and bracken. If it wasn't for Edward's vampire eyesight, we wouldn't have likely noticed it. At EJ's suggestion, we explored it. It turned out to be rather large. The walls were formed by jagged stones, and there were a few stalactites. There were deer tracks here and there as well, but they were old and faded. The inhabitants were either long gone or dead. If they were dead, then it was likely Tanya's doings. She brought any animal blood that she could find to Edward two days a week.

"They were probably the deer that Auntie took blood from weeks ago, eh Papa?" EJ joked, nudging his father as we left the cave. He liked deer blood a lot.

Edward chuckled. "Maybe, son. Maybe."

For the rest of the afternoon, we continued on our ramble. It was not much of one, since the cliff was only a few miles in each direction. Nevertheless, we had a wonderful time. We found more caves, which were also empty, and various pathways that zigzagged among the trees. During the whole time, we pointed out the intriguing things that we saw. We held lighthearted conversations and teased each other. We really made fun of Brad and Victor when they accidentally fell into a deep mud hole. They were covered with mud all the way to their chests.

"Be quiet!" Victor yelled as we laughed at them.

"You wouldn't like it if it happened to you," Brad remarked in indignation.

Once we had all calmed down, Edward told us that we should go home so that they could wash up.

EJ was disappointed. "Will we go hiking again soon?" he queried.

I nodded. "Yes, of course we will, if the weather doesn't turn cold again. If it does, we will most likely have to wait until spring to do this."

This did not make him any happier, but he understood why it would have to be so. "Okay, Mama. You're right-it _is_ still November," he sighed.

When we had made it back to the house, it was after six o'clock. Victor took a shower before making a big dinner for us. I was glad that he did. That long walk had made me very hungry.

During the meal, EJ chattered animatedly about our hiking trip. Edward and I listened to him with avid interest.

"Sounds like you had a really good time," I observed.

"I certainly did, Mama. You looked like you had fun too," he noted.

I had to smile. "Yes, I did. I enjoyed myself quite a bit," I stated.

While I was saying this, I heard Tanya telling Brad and Victor, "...and don't you two look handsome with your hair combed like that."

Snorting, I muttered, "They look more handsome with mud on them than they do without it. At least it hid their faces."

Brad and Victor gave me dirty looks as everybody chortled. I found myself laughing a little as well.

No one did much for the rest of the evening. Except for Edward and EJ, we were all too tired to. All of that walking took it out of us. After putting my son to bed, I decided to turn in for the night also. It was only 9:00, but I was more exhausted than I had been for a long time.

I took a shower before putting on my nightclothes and diving into bed.

Edward, who had came in the room while I was washing up, grinned at me. "Today was a good day. We really did have a lot of fun. I was pleased that EJ had a splendid time."

"Mmm," I agreed. "Well, I'm going to bed. Good-night."

"Good-night, baby," he whispered. He bent down and kissed my cheek several times.

I wiped my face with my sleeve. "Edward, don't start with the lovey-dovey stuff tonight. I'm too worn out for it," I grumbled. "Can you turn off the light so that I can go to sleep?"

It was dark in less than a second.

"Thank you." I turned away from him and shoved the blanket up to my chin.

Much to my annoyance, Edward slid his arm around me and kissed me over and over.

I slapped at him without opening my eyes. "Leave me alone, Edward. I told you that I wasn't in the mood for this. I'm tired. What has gotten into you?"

"I miss being with you. It's been more than a month since we had some lone time together, but it feels like it's been longer than that," he replied.

He rolled me over until I was facing him and placed a hand on my inner thigh. I attempted to move, but he had me in a tight grip.

"Let me go!" I ordered.

"I can't, Bella. I need you," he murmured against my lips before kissing them roughly.

"Mmph!" I whimpered in disgust before twisting my head away. "Edward, get off of me! Stop!" I said as he tried to go in for another kiss. I pushed at him, and to my relief, he moved back. I jumped off of the bed.

Edward flicked on the lights and scowled at me. "Bella, what is wrong with you? Why do you never want to be intimate with me?" he demanded in a low voice so that he wouldn't wake EJ up.

I crossed my arms. "Because I'm too exhausted to," I retorted.

He hissed in frustration. "You always say that! Every time I want to do anything with you, you give me that same damn line!"

"Well, maybe I wouldn't if you didn't try to be intimate with me every time I go to bed. Or when I'm not in the mood to. Besides, we all went on a hiking trip for more than three hours. All of that walking made me tired. Isn't that normal, or is it too human for you?"

"That has nothing to do with what I said. I said that you tell me the same thing _every_ time I want to do something. This does not only mean today!"

Groaning with irritation, I frowned at him. "You know what, Edward? I'm sleeping somewhere else. I'm not going to argue with you over this. It's pointless and stupid!" I declared, walking around the bed.

"No, you are not! We are going to finish this discussion! Now, I...Where do you think that are you going? Come back here! You don't walk away from me when I'm-" He grabbed my arm, pulled me over to him, and slapped me with the back of his hand. "-talking to you!" he concluded as I flew onto the bed.

I stared at him as my mouth fell in shock. Did he just hit me?! I thought to myself dazedly.

Before my brain could come up with an response, Edward snatched me up. Then, abruptly, we were under the covers.

"I am sick of all of this stalling," he said, tearing off my panties. After that he yanked off his own clothes. "If I want to do something with you, then you will let me have my way and let me do it. I don't care if you are tired or not in the mood. You will give me what I want, whenever I want it! Do you understand?"

"Get off of me! Leave me alone!" I pleaded, trying to shove him away even though I knew it was futile.

"Shut up! Now, kiss me," he commanded.

I spat in his face and punched him on the mouth. "No! Now let go of me, you bastard!"

His hand clenched around my throat. I gasped for air as he choked me.

"You little bitch. I tried to be nice, but you just had to make me upset. Didn't I tell you what I would do if you did that again? Well, that is about to happen," he growled in a low voice as his eyes turned black with rage.

"Please...no..." I breathed. I couldn't let him do this to me, not with EJ only one room away. I had to stop him! What if he heard what was going on? "Edward, I'm sorry! Please, don't hurt me!"

"Sorry does not cut it. That was your last chance, and you _are_ going to get what is coming to you."

Tears filled my eyes as I struggled against him in desperation. "No, Edward, please don't do this! I apologize! I promise that I'll never do it again! Please!"

He slapped me once more. "Shut up!" he repeated before tying my wrists with a cord in vampire speed. Then he pulled my legs apart and shoved his cock into me.

The pain in my vagina was so unendurable that I nearly blacked out. I opened my mouth to shout in agony, but he covered it with one hand. With the other, he punched my arms and legs over and over.

"No! Efward, STOP! You're hurting me!" I wept as he thrusted in and out of me.

"Good. Perhaps you will learn your lesson."

"Efward, pwease...I seth that I wath sowwy! If you lef me goh, I'll lifsen to you! I'll gif you whaf you wanf!" ("Edward, please...I said that I was sorry. If you let me go, I'll listen to you! I'll give you what you want!")

"SHUT UP, I SAID!" he bellowed, hitting me again.

"OW! STOP, PLEASE, STOP!"

"BE QUIET!" Another blow struck me.

I heard the door open with a crash. After that, was rapid footsteps and a sharp intake of breath.

"Papa...what...what are you doing to Mama?!" a boy's voice gasped after a long moment.

**EJ's POV**

After Mama and Papa had tucked me into bed, I fell asleep so quickly that I didn't even notice that I had. It was probably because I was tired out from that hiking trip. I really wanted us to have another one soon. Hiking trips were cool!

It did not take long for my dreams to come. Every night, they were different. I never dreamed the same dream twice.

Tonight, I had a dream about our hike. I was glad about this...it was like I was going back in time.

I was just at the part where we had discovered that stream when loud voices woke me up. But I was so sleepy that I didn't even know that I was awake. I couldn't tell who the voices belonged to at first, but then I recognized them as Mama's and Papa's.

"...That has nothing to do with what I said. I said that you tell me the same thing _every_ time I want to do something. This does not only mean today!" Papa shouted.

Mama groaned. It was an annoyed groan. "You know what, Edward? I'm sleeping somewhere else. I'm not going to argue with you over this. It's pointless and stupid!" she said. Then I heard footsteps.

"No, you are not! We are going to finish this discussion! Now, I...Where do you think that are you going? Come back here! You don't walk away from me when I'm-" There was a sound like a loud pop. "-talking to you!" Papa yelled. There was a thud.

I heard movements, then Papa saying, "I am sick of all of this stalling." There was ripping sounds. "If I want to do something with you, then you will let me have my way and let me do it. I don't care if you are tired or not in the mood. You will give me what I want, whenever I want it! Do you understand?"

"Get off of me! Leave me alone!" I heard Mama beg.

"Shut up! Now, kiss me."

There was a spitting sound. "No! Now let go of me, you bastard!" Mama screamed. Then she gasped.

My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe that Mama used a bad word! She _actually_ used a bad word! And she called Papa that bad word!

"You little bitch." (Oh no! Not him too! Why would he call Mama that? Mama was not that word. She could never be!) "I tried to be nice, but you just had to make me upset. Didn't I tell you what I would do if you did that again? Well, that is about to happen," Papa growled.

"Please...no...Edward, I'm sorry! Please, don't hurt me!" Mama begged.

I was scared now. Papa was going to hurt her?

"Sorry does not cut it. That was your last chance, and you _are_ going to get what is coming to you," Papa mumbled.

"No, Edward, please don't do this! I apologize! I promise that I'll never do it again! Please!" Mama pleaded.

"Shut up!"

There was a thump and then thuds that sounded like punches.

"No! Efward, STOP! You're hurting me!" Mama yelled.

Oh God, no! He was hurting Mama! I tried to get out of bed, but I fell out of it and got tangled up in my sheets. Darn it!

"Good. Perhaps you will learn your lesson," Papa grunted.

I stopped struggling as soon as I heard that. I couldn't believe that he would say something so cruel to her. I thought that he cared for Mama.

"Efward, pwease...I seth that I wath sowwy! If you lef me goh, I'll lifsen to you! I'll gif you whaf you wanf!" Mama cried. ("Edward, please...I said that I was sorry. If you let me go, I'll listen to you! I'll give you what you want!")

"SHUT UP, I SAID!" Papa hollered, there was another punching sound.

I had finally got untangled from my sheets. I threw them on the bed and ran out of my room. I had to hurry. I had to stop Papa from hurting Mama!

"OW! STOP, PLEASE, STOP!" I heard Mama scream.

"BE QUIET!"

He punched her again.

I opened Mama and Papa's door and pushed it hard. Then I ran into the room. But when I saw Papa hitting Mama on the arms and legs, and bouncing hard on her, and Mama crying, I was frozen. That was how shocked and scared I was.

"Papa...what...what are you doing to Mama?!" I gasped after what seemed like a long time.

**Bella's POV **

Turning my head, I saw EJ standing in the middle of the room. My eyes widened in horror. My son was in here...my son...finding out the secret I had tried so hard to keep from him. The secret that his father was abusive. That he was a rapist.

That he was a monster.

"Edward, stop, stop! Our son is in the room. EJ is in here!" I cried.

But he did not listen to me. Either that, or he was too deep in his fury to hear me. He just continued to beat me and force himself on me while grunting in pleasure. At least the blanket was still covering us. I would not know how I would be able explain this to my son if it wasn't.

When Edward did not show any signs of stopping, EJ ran over to us and grabbed his covered leg. "Papa, what are you doing? Stop it! Stop hitting Mama and bouncing on her! You're hurting her! Stop it! Get off of Mama!" he implored.

He must have heard him then because he paused and turned to him. "Edward Jacob, go to your room right now," he ordered. He sounded angry, but there was also fear and shame in his voice. As quick as lightning, he untied the cord that was binding me.

"No! Not until you get off of Mama!"

Edward snarled and made to get up, but I placed my hands on his cheeks.

"Edward...baby, don't take your anger out on him. I'll put him back to bed. You just stay here and calm down. All right?" I inquired firmly.

He inhaled deeply and nodded. "All right. But I want you back here within a half hour."

I got from underneath him, lowering the skirt of my gown as I did so. Then I took EJ to his room.

As I was tucking him into his bed, he queried in confusion, "Mama...why was Papa hitting you and bouncing on you? He was hurting you, and I didn't like it. I was so frightened." He began to cry.

Tears rolled down my own cheeks as I embraced him fiercely. "I know, baby. I was scared too," I mumbled, putting as much comfort into my hug as I could.

Minutes later, EJ settled down. I gave him a kiss and brushed away his tears. Then I made him lay down.

He cocked his head to the side. "Mama? Why was Papa hurting you? Why was he bouncing on you?" he inquired.

With a deep sigh, I took his hand. "Me and your papa were upset about something and had gotten into an argument. Papa lost his temper. That was why he was hitting me. He really didn't mean to hurt me, though. He just has trouble controlling his anger at times. If he gets too upset, he does things that he honestly doesn't intend to do," I explained.

"But he looked like he meant to hurt you," EJ remarked.

"He didn't. I ought to know...I have known your father for more than a year. He loves me very much, and he would never hurt me on purpose. He will apologize for what he had done, and everything will be okay again. You will see."

I was amazed at myself for defending Edward. Normally, I would have blamed him for every transgression that he had used against me. However, I still did not want EJ to think that his father was a bad person. I still did not want to give him any reason to hate him.

EJ sniffed. "I hope so. I don't like it when you two argue or fight."

"I don't like it any more than you do, sweetheart. But once your papa calms down, he will be reasonable." I hugged him one more time and kissed his forehead. "Go to sleep now, baby. Everything will be all right in the morning. Okay?"

He peered at me shrewdly, then nodded after a moment. "Okay, Mama. Good-night."

"Good-night, baby."

I sat with him until he fell asleep. After that, I left for my room. Thinking back to my conversation with EJ earlier, I said to myself that Edward had better be sorry! Of course, I did not care if he did apologize. I would never, _ever_ forgive him for what he did! For hurting me right in front of our son! Our son! He had really cross a line this time.

I burst into our room and stormed over to Edward, who was sitting on the bed with his face in his hands. "You fucking son of a bitch! I can't believe that you beat me and raped me in front of our own_ son_! It was horrible enough that you did that to me...but in front of _EJ_?! I wouldn't have cared so much if he hadn't caught us, but you should have had enough sense to stop before he came in the room! How dare you even do this to me in the first place! Have you lost your mind?! I will _never_ forgive you!" I raged at him heatedly while punching him in fury.

I was berating him so much that I didn't notice that he was crying until he looked up. His eyes were rimmed with red, and tears were on his cheeks. I was taken aback. I had never seen him cry before! And for the very first time, I could see that he was truly, truly ashamed of what he had done. Or ashamed of some of the the things that had happened.

"Bella..." he gasped. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to lose my temper with you. I should have just left you alone when you told me to. I hate myself for what I did to you and for what I allowed to happen. I hate myself for letting EJ see us. I can understand that you won't forgive me for this. I do not deserve to be forgiven. I do not even _want_ you to forgive me," he wept.

"Good...because I won't. I don't care that you are really sorry this time. It's about time that you were sorry for _anything_!" I retorted. "The only person that you should really apologize to is EJ. Do you know how hard it was for me to explain what you did to me and why? That it is lucky that he didn't actually see you raping me and only thought that you were _bouncing _on me, you asshole?!"

"No, but I can imagine how hard it must have been very well."

"I hope that you can, for _your_ sake. And if you ever-and I mean _ever_-do that to me again, or if EJ sees you hurting me again...I don't know what I am going to do. I can't try to run away and take EJ with me...you will hear my attempts to and stop me. I know you, Edward. But whatever I do, it won't be pretty. That is a promise, _and_ a threat. You're lucky that I am too upset to know what to do _right now_. Do you hear me Edward Anthony Masen?!"

He choked out a sob. "Yes."

"And you will apologize to EJ first thing in the morning. Let this be the last time that we have this discussion. I am sleeping in another room, but you had better think about what you have done."

Edward inclined his head in despair, but did not said anything. I slammed the door as I left the room without another word.

**EJ's POV**

_Next morning_

When I woke up the next day, Papa was sitting on the edge of my bed. I was afraid that he was still angry, but when I looked into his eyes, I saw that he wasn't. He looked very sad, frightened and ashamed, though. He also looked as if he hated himself. Mama was in the room too, but she was standing by my TV. Her face was...what was the word...tense. Yeah, that was it. Tense and rigid.

"Morning, EJ," Papa mumbled.

I sat up. "Morning, Papa," I whispered. "Morning, Mama."

"Good morning, baby," she said back.

Papa took my hand. "Son, may I talk to you for a minute?"

I nodded.

"All right. Well...I am really, really sorry about hurting Mama last night. I honestly did not mean to do it. She was right about what she had told you...I do have a problem with controlling my temper sometimes. I hate myself for doing that to her, especially in front of you. I know that I had scared you, and that I made you sad and upset you. But I promise that I will never try to hurt Mama again. I don't want to do that to her. I love your mother so much that it hurts me. It broke my heart to know that I had hurt her yesterday. But everything is fine between me and Mama now. I apologized to her, and I hope that she will forgive me one day. She can't now-she is still upset about what I did-but perhaps she will. But I want to apologize to you too, for hurting you as well. I know that it broke your heart to see me hit Mama too. Will you forgive me, at least?"

Looking into his eyes, I could see that he meant what he said. But I still had to ask, "Do you _promise_ not to hurt her anymore?"

He nodded. "Yes...I will try very, very hard not to."

I smiled at him. "Okay then, Papa. I accept your apology and forgive you. Just don't hurt Mama again."

"As I said, I promise to try not to. I don't want to hurt her ever again."

We hugged each other hard, and Papa kissed me on the cheek.

**Bella's POV**

I was relieved that EJ could see that Edward had really meant what he told him. He would have noticed if he did. With a smile, I watched as they embraced each other. I really hoped that he would never lay a hand on or rape me again. I hoped that I would never have to deal with a crisis like that one that had occurred the previous night.

But little did I know that what happened last night was just the beginning of the madness all over again.

**(A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! THE MORE REVIEWS, THE BETTER. Oh, and I put a picture of what EJ mostly looks like for the story's photo. His face is actually a little bit more thinner and his hair ia less curlier than the boy's, but yeah.) **


	13. Three Beyond Terrible Nights

**Bella's POV**

When EJ was taking a nap later that afternoon, Edward suggested that I get a vaginal examination. It was still hurting a little from the night before.

It did not take long for Brad to perform it; it only took ten minutes. When he was finished, he removed his gloves.

"Well, Bella's vagina hasn't sustained any damage. It isn't raw or bruised either. It's just sore. You were probably too rough with her. You need to be careful. Her vagina is still recovering from delivering EJ, so you have to be gentle," he admonished.

Edward nodded. "I understand," he said quietly. Then he shifted his attention to me. "I'm sorry for being too harsh with you, Bella. I really am."

"It's fine," I muttered with a shrug. I didn't care if he was sorry. I was never going to forgive him for what he did to me.

Thankfully, he did not bother me for the rest of the day. I was civil with him, enough that it gave EJ the impression that everything was now all right between me and his father. He was happy about it, and I was happy for him. I did not want him to be upset over what he saw Edward doing to me earlier. I didn't want him to be afraid of him either, although I wouldn't have blamed him if he was.

The area between my legs had stopped hurting by early evening. I didn't tell Edward so, however. There was no telling what he would do if I had. Instead, I winced occasionally to make him think that I was still in pain. He bought it, and left me alone that night.

However, I wasn't able to keep him away for very long.

The next morning and afternoon passed by without any drama. I played with EJ and watched movies with him and Edward. I had forgotten to keep wincing because I was enjoying myself for a better part of the time, and he noticed.

"Bella, has the pain gone away?" he queried. We were downstairs while EJ was taking yet another nap. He always took naps in the afternoon.

I shook my head. "No," I lied in a cold voice, not meeting his eyes as I put EJ toys back into their container.

When I turned turned around, I could see him scowling. It was obvious that I had offended him, and that he didn't believe me. That was no real shocker. I had always been a terrible liar. But since I didn't really give a damn, I shrugged it off.

I shouldn't have, though. My lying to him only motivated him to start with his irritating but hurtful and saddening psychological abuse again later that evening.

He did not assist me in putting EJ to bed, which was odd. He normally did, but tonight he didn't. Just said good-night to him and went to his room. I should have known then that something was up.

After tucking EJ in, I read Dr. Seuss' _Green Eggs and Ham_ to him. He loved that story. He read it along with me, but eventually dozed off. I put the book away before kissing him on the temple.

"Mama loves you, baby," I whispered, rubbing his hair.

EJ grinned and mumbled that he loved me too. Chuckling softly, I left his bedroom.

When I entered the room that I shared with Edward-if only I had my own!-I noticed him standing by his dresser near the door. Except for the moonlight, it was dark. I couldn't see his face at all, only his silhouette.

He wrapped his arms around me after I had just barely closed the door. "Hi Bella," he murmured.

"Um...hi," I said back with a frown. "What do you want now?"

He nuzzled his face in my neck. I really began to feel uncomfortable. This was getting too weird. "You lied to me earlier about being in pain. I am not upset about it, but I want to know why you did."

I squirmed with unease, but not because I felt guilty or afraid. I did not regret being untruthful to him. Who was he to me? "I lied because I knew you would start your crap again, just like you're trying to do now. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

"Not exactly. What do you mean by 'crap'?"

"You know exactly what I mean...getting into your lovey-dovey rapist mode."

Edward rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Bella, please. Don't start that."

I scoffed. "Well, it's true," I pointed out.

"Well, I'm sorry. I really am."

Gripping my face, he kissed my cheek several times.

I tried to pull my head away. "All right, that's enough. You can stop now."

But he didn't. He only tightened his hold on me and kissed me on the lips.

I twisted my face away as I struggled against him. "Stop it!" I hissed.

"Please don't resist me. I want us to spend some time together this evening," Edward muttered. He slid his hands down to my bottom and squeezed it.

"Edward...could you please knock it off?" I implored, now attempting to shove him off of me.

He ignored my question as he continued to hold me. My arms were pinned, so there was nothing I could do except shift around.

"Be still," he ordered.

I did not listen to him. I kept struggling to send him the message that I wanted him to leave me alone.

"Bella, keep still." He brought his face close to mine.

"No!" I cried in a low voice before he kissed me again. This time, he shoved his tongue in my mouth. I immediately felt as if I was going to vomit. And I couldn't twist away because his hand was on the back of my head. I was unable to move at all, or so I thought. My legs were still free, so I kicked him as hard as I could without hurting myself. "Get off of me. Let me go. Stop it. You're being an irritating jackass!"

Edward finally lost his patience and shook me a few times. "Bella, stop resisting me. It won't do you any good, and you're making too much noise. Do you want EJ to hear you like he did last time?"

I bowed my head sadly, realizing that I had been rather loud. "No..." I mumbled.

He snatched me up by the collar. "Then you had better give me what I want, shut the hell up, and not make a sound. As long as you do that, you won't wake EJ up. He will never know what we are doing. Resisting me is pointless. I am stronger than you, and I am more than capable of getting what I want from you. You know that. So don't make me lose my temper and cause me to hurt you, Bella. I really don't want to do that."

"Making me do something that I don't want to do _does_ harm me Edward. You promised EJ that you wouldn't do that," I stated, tears of hurt welling in my eyes.

"I promised him that I wouldn't _physically_ hurt you. I won't do that unless you push my buttons. So...if you don't want that to happen, then you will do what I tell you to do for once. You _will_ let me do what I want with you."

And on that note, he smashed his lips against mine.

"Edward, no! Stop!" I whimpered between kisses.

"Be quiet," he commanded. He kissed me one more time, then pulled me over to the bed. He sat down and made me kneel in front of him.

Oh no! Oh, _hell_ no! He had better not ask me to do what I thought he was going to ask me!

He smiled gently. "Now. I would like you to please me, baby."

I covered my mouth as I gagged. I was really about to throw up this time.

When I didn't move right away, Edward narrowed his eyes at me. "Do you want me to shove my cock in your mouth and make you do it?" he hissed.

Shaking with fear, I turned in the direction of EJ's room. I didn't want to obey Edward. However, I knew that he would beat me and/or rape me (well, he was already about to do that) if I didn't. And if I yelled or screamed, our son would hear us. I was not going to ever let that happen, if I could help it. I never wanted him to see his father hurt me again.

Of course, that did not make me want to do what Edward told me to do any more than I did. But to protect my son, I would do anything, even if I didn't like it. I cared about him more than I cared about me.

I gulped, and with my sight blinded by tears, I undid his pants. Edward leered at me with smug satisfaction as I reluctantly slid them down along with his boxers. His erection penis sprung free. I swallowed thickly once more before stroking it.

He threw his head back and moaned. "_Yes_," he breathed. "Now suck it. Put it in your mouth."

Closing my eyes, I did as he told me. I felt my nausea worsen, but I tried to think of something else.

"Fuck...so good...don't stop...yes, Isabella...Ohhhhhh, God..." Edward panted, thrusting upwards into my mouth. A few long minutes later, he whispered, "All right, that's enough. I don't want to blow my load just yet. Get undressed and lay on the bed."

I took my clothes off while he did the same. He put a condom on, and I was relieved. I didn't want to have another baby so soon.

"Don't worry. I'll be very gentle," he assured, crawling on top of me.

"It doesn't matter. I didn't want to do this in the first place," I muttered.

"Well, you're going to do it anyway, smart ass, so you had better prepare yourself to," he countered.

Edward spread open my legs and entered me. I was thankful that it didn't hurt. He pinned my wrists to the bed before thrusting into me. Then he smirked. "See how fast we are getting this over with when you aren't resisting me every five seconds? Isn't this better than trying to fight me off all the time?"

"No," I replied curtly. If anything, it was worse. I felt like a such weak coward for allowing him have the upper hand, but not that much. At least I was protecting EJ, my son, my only consolation in this house, from seeing or hearing this. I was protecting him from getting hurt.

"It doesn't matter, anyway. You will see that it is and get use to it after a couple of times. Just wait and see," he grunted.

Rolling my eyes, I huffed.

I stared at the ceiling as he continued to force himself on me. Sometimes he would ask if it felt good, and I would always tell him that it didn't. He would glare at me, but because he knew that EJ would wake up if we began to argue, he would just keep going. He didn't even hit me, which amazed me. He normally did when I was rudely sassy to him.

Finally, after what seemed like a decade, he was done. He kissed me one last time, then climbed off of me.

"Put your nightclothes on and go to sleep," he murmured.

I did so happily after folding my other clothes and throwing them in my dresser.

XXX

When I woke up the next morning, I was very sleepy. And if my arms and legs weren't aching, I would have thought that last night's events had been a dream. It seemed as if it had been, and I wished that it was. It would have made everything more bearable.

EJ must have noticed that that something was out of place at breakfast. I had mostly been quiet for the whole meal, which was now unusual. "Mama, are you all right? You look upset," he observed.

I grinned wanly at him. "No, I'm not upset, EJ...just very tired. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night," I responded, lying a little.

"Oh. What were you doing up so late?" he persisted.

"Reading."

He shook his head with a smile. "Oh Mama, you and your books," he commented.

I had to laugh. "Well, you know me," I remarked.

With a chuckle, EJ nodded wisely. "I sure do."

I was relieved that he didn't see that I wasn't being honest with him. Or maybe he did and just didn't want to point it out. In any case, he didn't ask if I was okay again. I was thankful that he didn't.

During the day, I kept up the guise that I was indeed all right. I smiled as often as possible and tried to make it look as if I meant to do so. I also pretended that I still wasn't furious with Edward. That was not true, of course. It did not matter too much, though. At least EJ didn't suspect that anything was wrong.

As the evening approached, I hoped that I wouldn't be forced to deal with Edward. That I would be left alone that night. But my hopes came to nothing.

(Later-10:00pm)

I was in the room that I shared with Edward, but he was not bothering me. Much to my relief, he was looking over some of his compositions. I was listening to some music, but was getting ready to change into my nightclothes. EJ had been put to bed an hour ago, and Edward's friends were in their rooms, so it was quiet.

Just as I had turned off the radio, I felt thirsty. I left the bedroom, intending to get a can of soda.

"Where are you going?" Edward questioned.

"To get something to drink," I replied.

"Oh, all right, then. Hurry back," he said.

I gave him a dirty look. He just grinned in return.

The first thing that I noticed as I strolled down the hall was that Brad's door was open. However, I didn't pay much attention to it.

That is, until I was level with it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him jump out to grab me. I went to move out of the way, but he snatched me up, covering my mouth with his hand.

I kicked and struggled silently against him as he carried me into his room. He shut the door and locked it before throwing me on the bed. After that, he hovered over me.

"Don't worry, Bella. I'm not going to hurt you. I am only checking if it is okay for you to have sex now. It will only take a little while, I promise," he murmured in what he thought was a soothing voice.

Then he bent down to kiss me on the cheek while dry humping me. I could feel his hard penis on my center. I felt sick to my stomach.

"No! Leave me alone!" I mumbled. I squirmed, trying to send him the message that I didn't want him to do this. When that didn't work, I bided my time until his hips were off of mine. Then I brought my leg up and kicked him in the nuts. Just because I couldn't fight Edward, it didn't mean that I couldn't fight _him_. He was human. I wasn't putting up with this shit tonight!

"Argh!" Brad yelled in pain, grabbing his balls.

That distraction gave me enough time to clock him in the chin with the heel of my hand. I rolled from under him, then punched him in the face so hard that he fell off of the bed.

Before he even think of getting up, I ran out of the door. I peeked into EJ's room to see if the noise had woken him up, but he was still sound asleep. Whew!

Edward glanced up from his sheet music papers as I bolted inside. "What is it?" he demanded, looking me over.

I frowned at him in anger and incredulity. "Your stupid friend Brad tried to fucking rape me, dumb ass! I know that you heard him trying to give me a 'check-up to see if I was able to have sex'!" I hissed, quoting the last part of the sentence with my fingers.

He rose an eyebrow. "He tried to rape you? Why would he do that if he was just giving you a check-up?"

"Sex was going to be his way up giving me the check-up! Christ, Edward, haven't you figured that out?! I told him not to do it, but he wouldn't fucking listen to me! He just tried to do what he planned to do! And if I hadn't fought him off and gotten away from him, he would be raping me _right now_! And what would you have done?! Nothing! You would have just sat there and buried your nose deeper into that fucking sheet music! It was a good thing that we didn't wake EJ up too, or he would have heard us!" I whispered in rage.

Edward groaned and laid his papers aside. "Listen, I'll talk to him about it, all right? Stay here."

"Yes, go talk to him! And while you're at it, tell him to stay the fuck away from me, or he won't have any balls at all!"

"What do you mean?"

"I kicked him in the balls as I fought him off. That's what I mean."

Shaking his head in disbelief, he left the bedroom.

I paced back and forth as I waited for him to return. It was not long before he did. I confronted him as soon as he walked in.

"Well?" I drew out the word impatiently.

"He said that he was only joking around, and that he really wasn't trying to have sex with you. That it was just his way of messing with you," he remarked.

I had to keep myself from roaring in frustration. "_He's a damn liar!_" I growled.

Edward shook his head. "No, he isn't. I read his mind...it showed that he was telling me the truth."

"He only showed you what he would want you to see! He knows that you can see his thoughts! He knows that you would kill him if he tried to hurt me! He was protecting himself!"

"Bella, I am not in the mood to discuss this with you. Why don't you just go to bed? You need to calm down."

My teeth clenched as I curled my lips. "Fuck you, Edward! You're nothing but an _asshole_! I should have _known_ that you wouldn't have done anything about this! You would rather believe him over me! All you ever do is take up for your friends! You always give them everything that they want!"

"That's not true, Bella. If I was going to take up for Brad, I wouldn't have bothered to speak to him at all. I would have just called you a liar right to your face."

"Whatever! Fuck you!"

I stormed out of the bedroom and into the one next to EJ's. Edward begged me to come back, but I wouldn't. He eventually left me alone, and after a long time, I managed to fall asleep.

Edward's letting Brad off the hook should have warned me that Brad would attempt to get revenge on me. He did just that two nights later.

(Skip ahead to that evening)

I was downstairs cleaning up the den. EJ, who was asleep, had left his toys all over the place again. I threw them in the box and dusted and swept the room. After that, I headed upstairs.

As soon as I had reached the landing, I plowed into someone. I had to grab the banister to keep from falling down the steps.

The "someone" snatched me up by the collar before I realized what had happened. The next thing I knew, I was in Brad's room.

He pinned my arms to the bed and glared in my face. "You lying little bitch. You just had to go and tell stories about me to Mr. Cullen, didn't you? Well, you are about to learn what happens to dirty little snitching whores like you who can't keep their mouths shut. And you are going to learn what happens when you dare to pull some underhanded shit on me," he spat.

I tried to fight him off, but his grip was too strong. He pinned my legs with his as he ripped off my shirt and bra.

"Get off of me! Leave me alone, you son of a bitch!" I hissed as I struggled.

He paid me no mind as he tied one wrist and then the other to the headboard's bars. Then he turned and, still pinning my legs, yanked off my jeans and panties.

"Stop it! Please, stop it! Look, I'm sorry for what I did! Please stop!" I begged, trying to loosen the ropes' knot. But I couldn't; they were tied too tightly.

Brad ignored me again. He tied both ankles to the bars on the foot of the bed as if I had said nothing. Then he slid his own jeans down, put on a condom, and positioned himself at my entrance.

"No...don't...don't..." I pleaded.

Brad smiled evilly and drove his cock into me. I opened my mouth to call for help, but he covered it with his hand.

"You aren't going to say anything, bitch. You want to tell lies about me raping you? Well, you _will_ be raped since you wanted it to be that way so much," he grunted as he pounded into me. "Ohhh, yes...fuck..._Ouch_!"

I had bitten his finger. I grinned with relish as he shook it in the air.

"Slut! Fucking slut!" he whisper-yelled. He got up for a minute, then came back with a gag. He tied it on me, but not without difficulty. When he was certain that I had been sufficiently silenced, he continued to rape me.

"Yeah...You don't like this, do you, bitch? I bet you won't be telling anymore lies, now, will you? You will keep your mouth shut next time, won't you? You know what's good for you now, don't you?" he moaned, smiling at me in twisted pleasure. "You'd better...because...Edward will _never_..._fucking_..._believe_..._you_!" he stated, slamming into me to four times to emphasize his point.

Tears ran down my face as I tried to get away from him. However, the ropes wouldn't budge.

"Stahp. Pwease stahp," I implored.

"I will when I cum. And don't worry, it won't be long before I do. I can see that you are learning your lesson." He trailed his finger across my cheek. I jerked my face away from it.

When he had finally climaxed, he untied me from the bed. "Get dressed, bitch," he ordered.

I put my clothes on accordingly. After that, he yanked me over to the door by my hair. He opened it, then literally threw me out of his room. I landed on the floor with a thud.

"Nighty-night, little whore," he crooned. "That's exactly what you are. You are lucky that Edward loves you and can put up with you. You are lucky that you are a good mother too because if you weren't, you would just be nothing but a worthless slut." He shut the door.

I turned over and wept into my hands. I had never needed Carlisle more than I did at this moment. I knew that he was searching for me still. Where was he? What was taking him so long to find me?

Well, wherever he was, I hoped that he would find me soon. I wanted him to take me and EJ away from this place. I wanted him to hold me and tell me that everything would be alright. I wanted to go home, where I would be loved by him and my family, as well as my son. No one but EJ truly cared about me in this house.

Carlisle, please find me soon! Please!

(A/N: **PLEASE REVIEW!** They are going to die a horrible fucking death, I can tell you that.)


	14. IMPORTANT NEWS!

**Author's Note**

I have good news. I had published my book this morning! It took a while to do it, but I finally did. If you are interested in buying it, go to , click the Bookstore tab and put The Chronicles of Josie in the search bar. If you read it, I hope that you enjoy it! I

I will also try to update the story ASAP. I am not finished with it, so don't worry. As they always say, the show must go on!

~Iridescent Bellisle Cullen (I.B.C.)~


	15. I Can't Take This Anymore!

**Bella's POV**

_Over the next several days before Thanksgiving_

I wanted to tell Edward that Brad had raped me. I really did. But I had to admit that I agreed Brad when he said that Edward would not believe me. After all, he didn't last time...not really. If I did tell him what he had done, Brad would only lie to him like he did before. I would really be in trouble once that happened.

Instead, I chose to wait and see if Edward would do anything. I figured that if I didn't bother him, he would see Brad's thoughts when he was least expecting it.

But nothing ever happened. Either Edward never found out about it, or he did but didn't care enough to deal with him. I was furious with him for not taking action! If he really loved me, he would have killed Brad for what he did to me!

Normally, this would have motivated me to say something. However, I was still too afraid to, for fear of being raped again. So I had no choice but to pretend that it never happened and try to get over it. Of course, I did not think that I would ever have been able to do that.

To make matters even more worse, Brad told his friends that it was safe for me to have sex the day after he raped me! Fucking bastard! As if I didn't have enough to deal with already!

It was needless to mention that they were thrilled. Daniel, Jerry, and Victor had been waiting to get their slimy, filthy hands on me since before and after EJ was born. They had grown tired of Tanya's icy-cold self and wanted their "Belly-warmer", as Daniel had called me, back.

Once Brad had given them the news, they asked Edward if I was allowed to "help" them again. Much to my fury and horror, Edward told them that they could. Brad had already told him that I was able to have sex without any problems.

I tried to argue with Edward about the whole situation. I told him that I did not want to have anything to do with his friends. That if he cared about or loved me, he wouldn't do this to me. He would not budge, only threaten me as he always did.

"Bella, you should already know by now that what I say will _always_ go," he stated menacingly with a deep frown. He was holding me up by my collar. "You know that you will do as I tell you to do if you want me to keep my promise to EJ. If you continue to fight me on this, I will break it. And trust me...neither you nor I have any desire for that to happen. _You_ especially wouldn't want me to. You _know_ that I can hurt you terribly, and have you hurt in ways that would give you nightmares when you sleep. So cut the bullshit! You may not want to deal with my friends, but you will if you want to stay on my good side. If I have to listen to any more of your complaints, I will give you something to complain about. Is that clear, or do I have to follow through with my threat?"

"_No_, Edward," I groaned.

"I hope not. Don't make me have to," he warned before releasing me.

After that, everything went back to the way it was before. Edward pimped me out to his friends, and I had no choice but to put up with them. I had give them what they wanted from me or do what they said without a word. In addition to that, Edward would force himself on my every night, and/or when EJ was taking a nap.

I longed to fight him and his friends, but I did not have the gall to any more. The remaining courage and strength that I had had been sapped away, no thanks to Edward and his stupid threats. Plus, if I fought against them, Edward would...well, I wasn't quite sure what he would do. But if he hurt me, EJ would probably find out about it. I was not going to let that happen.

I was never forced to have sex with him or his pals when EJ was awake. Edward would arrange for me to go to them when EJ was napping or asleep in bed at night. Like me, he did not want our son to find out about our secret double-lives. Thank God for small comforts.

Of course, being raped everyday still did not help much. I was always stressed out from dealing with Edward and his buddies, and from living in fear. I was often very tired also, from staying up late every night and waking up early the next morning. Besides that, the nightmares returned, making it even harder for me to acquire the sleep that I needed. Pretty soon, the stress, misery, shame, anger, and fatigue began to take its toll on me.

Edward and his friends turned a blind eye how I felt as usual, but EJ noticed that something was going on with me. This was not unexpected, though, with him being gifted with perception. However, there were times when I wished that he was not. It would make things a little easier for me.

He brought it up on Tuesday, while I was explaining how to do multiplication with double digits numbers to him. Man, he was getting smarter every day!

"...Okay, you can see that this says 29 times 14. The first thing that you have to do is multiply nine and four. Then, you multiply four and two. Just like with addition, you have to add an extra number to the top left number. In other words, you have to add three to the two. What is the first answer that you get?" I inquired.

EJ multiplied nine and four. Then, he multiplied two and four once he added the three. "The first answer I should get is...116?" he asked in hesitation.

I grinned at him. "That's right! Now, you have to multiply one and nine, then one and two. Once you do that, you will have the full answer," I concluded.

"All right, Mama."

"Well, go ahead and finish the problem. Remember the procedure I showed you."

He nodded and scribbled in his notebook again.

I leaned back and massaged my temples wearily. I had had a long, dreadful evening the previous night, what with Edward and Victor in my face for half of it, and that nightmare for the next quarter of it.

EJ finished his problem and glanced up at me. "Mama, the answer is...Mama? What is wrong? You look very exhausted and upset and frazzled. In fact, you have been looking that way since Saturday. I even heard you screaming last night. I am worried about you. Are you all right?" he queried in concern.

"Yes, I'm fine, baby," I mumbled. "I didn't just get any sleep last night. I was reading something, and it made me have a bad dream," I lied.

From the pointed stare that he gave me, I could tell that he knew that I wasn't being honest. "Are you sure? I feel like there is something else. Something that you aren't telling me." He narrowed his eyes and bit his lip thoughtfully. "Are you and Papa arguing again? Did he ever hit you again after that night?" he whispered.

"No, of course not," I responded truthfully.

He sighed in relief. "That's good. I...I just don't like it when you look like you do now. It worries me."

I took his hand. "You don't have to worry about me, EJ. I'm fine...really, I am. I appreciate your being concerned for me, though."

"Why shouldn't I? You're my mother. If I didn't, it would mean that I don't care about you or love you. I can't _not_ love you or care for you. That would be wrong." He tugged one of my curls affectionately.

Smiling brightly, I kissed his forehead and embraced him. "You have no idea how much what you said means to me. I love you too, with all my heart."

EJ and I clung to each other for a while, then broke apart. "Now," I said. "Tell me what your answer to the problem is."

"Four hundred and six," he declared.

I beamed. "Yes, that is correct."

Later that evening and all through the next day, everyone prepared for the big Thanksgiving meal. I had to help Victor with the getting the food ready since we were the best cooks in the house.

I did not mind this too much. At least Victor did not bother me. All of the cooking took my thoughts elsewhere for several hours.

EJ was very excited about the situation. I could not blame him for feeling that way. I admit that I was kind of looking forward to it myself. It would be the first Thanksgiving that we would all have as a family.

Thinking about that made me a little sad, however. I had hoped to spend this Thanksgiving with Carlisle and the others this year. Or with Charlie. I wondered what they were doing at the moment. I knew that they had to be out of their minds with fear since they haven't found me yet.

EJ kept begging for samples of the food, which was amusing. Edward and I told him that he would be able to soon.

"But I want to taste the food now," he complained on Wednesday.

Ruffling his hair, I assured with a smile, "Don't worry. Tomorrow, you can taste as much of it as you want. What do you think of the turkey?" I opened the oven door to show it to him.

He surveyed all thirty pounds of it with wide eyes. "It's huge," he commented. "I can't wait until tomorrow! I want to see everything that there is to see about Thanksgiving!"

"You will," I laughed. "And your papa and I will make sure that you have a lot of fun too. Right, Edward?"

"Of course we will. We would like nothing better," Edward said, giving both of us a kiss on the cheek.

I rolled my eyes at him in disgust.

"What?" he asked.

Sighing in irritation, I muttered, "Nothing."

(Thanksgiving)

The next morning dawned with clear skies and bright, golden sunshine. Just perfect for Thanksgiving.

I woke up early, feeling alert and very refreshed. For the first time in days, I had had a good night's sleep. I did not have a single nightmare. Edward did not bother me the previous evening either. His friends were too exhausted to have anything to do with me as well, especially Victor. Like me, he was worn out from cooking all day yesterday.

There was still some more cooking to do, of course. So after breakfast, Victor and I stayed in the kitchen to finish making the rest of the food. Edward helped us too to make everything go quicker.

EJ wanted to hang around, but I told him no. "We're very busy, and we aren't able to watch you closely right now. You might get hurt if you're not careful," I explained.

"Why don't you watch a movie in your room or play one of your video games for a bit?" Edward suggested as he turned to look at him. "It won't be too long before we are finished with this. When we are, Mama and I will play with you. All right, son?"

"Okay, Papa. See you later," EJ declared. He went upstairs.

By four o'clock in the afternoon, the Thanksgiving meal was complete. The gravy and collard greens were simmering on the stove. The turkey and macaroni and cheese were being warmed up in the over. The sweet potato and pumpkin pies were in the refrigerator.

Since we wouldn't be eating until six thirty, Edward and I spent time with EJ as promised. He badgered us about the food as soon as we stepped into his room. He was watching _Tarzan_.

"Is it time for dinner yet?" he questioned impatiently.

"No, not yet," Edward smiled. He sat down on one side of him while I sat on the other. "Dinner is always at six thirty. You know that."

"Yes, I do, but I am so hungry!" he complained.

I chuckled. "EJ, you are always hungry. If you keep eating as much as you do, you'll be as tall as Papa by next month."

EJ snorted. "Don't exaggerate Mama. Just because I have an accelerated growth spurt doesn't mean that I'll be _that_ big by then."

"With the way you eat you will," I joked.

"Hey, son. I think that we should tickle Mama," Edward remarked with a teasing glint in his eye.

Nodding, EJ agreed, "Yeah, we should."

"You'd better not," I warned.

The next thing I knew, they lunged forward. I tried to dodge out of the way, but they easily caught me.

"Tickle, tickle, tickle," EJ laughed, tickling my sides.

"Ha HA! You're not making fun of anybody now, are you?" Edward demanded playfully as he tickled my thighs.

I giggled uncontrollably. "Stop, please stop! I can't take it anymore! Stop!" I shrieked.

When I began to run out of breath, they finally did. All of us settled down on the carpet to watch the rest of _Tarzan_.

At six thirty, we gathered in the kitchen with Edward's friends. Even Tanya came over to have dinner with us. The men put the food on the table, and then we all sat down.

Edward said a nice little prayer, and after the amen, he spread his arms and proclaimed, "Well...dig in!"

"FINALLY!" EJ groaned in relief.

We laughed heartily and began to eat.

** Carlisle's POV**

_Back in Forks_

It was Thanksgiving and Isabella and Edward had not been found yet. And Alice still could not see where they were.

When my children and Eleazar, Carmen, and Irina had informed me that they were not in any part of the United States, I thought that I would go insane.

Where could they be?! I was sick of not knowing where they were, and what had happened to Isabella after all this time. Was she all right? Or was Edward making her life a living hell? I hoped that it wasn't the latter.

My children and cousins returned to Washington in the middle of the month. They stayed at the house with me for a few days, giving me comfort, reassuring me that everything would be fine. That they would find Isabella soon. There was a little doubt in their voices, making it hard for me to believe them. However, I wanted to hold on to the possibility that maybe...just maybe...everything would be.

On Friday, they left to go on another search. This time, they were heading to the Caribbean Islands, Hawaii, and South America.

"Call me if you locate her," I pleaded to them desperately.

"Don't worry. We will," Alice mumbled as she embraced me.

"And when we do, we'll bring her home," Emmett added.

I nodded. "Thank you."

Coming back the present, I sighed wearily. Nearly a week had passed since they had left. Every evening, they would give me an update of their progress, or tell me where they were. But I did not want updates. I wanted them to tell me that they had finally found Isabella.

With another sigh, I glanced at the clock. It was a little after seven. I decided to go check on Charlie and Kate. It would give me something to do other than moping around.

Charlie had not been holding up too well either. Like me, he was worried, depressed, and half crazy with fear. Kate tried her best to make him feel a better, but her attempts did not work as much as she hoped. She had taken to staying with him until he was ready to go to bed lately. However, there were several times when she spent the night with him. She was very concerned for his health, and I did not blame her. I was worried about him too.

I stepped into my car and drove to his house. Kate opened the door when I knocked.

"Oh, hi Carlisle," she greeted morosely.

"Hello, Kate. What's wrong? You look sad," I observed.

She moved aside so that I could walked through the door. "I'm trying to get Charlie to eat. I had made him a little Thanksgiving dinner. But he won't take a bite of it, even if I beg him to. I really want him to eat something because he hasn't eaten much lately. It seems like he is getting thinner every day. I'm scared, Carlisle."

I patted her arm. "It will be all right, Kate. Why don't I see if I cannot convince him to eat?"

"Good luck with that."

I followed her to the living room, where Charlie was drooping on the sofa. He looked up as we came in.

Bobbing my head, I stated, "Hi Charlie. Kate tells me that you have not been eating as much as you should." I thought that it would be preferable to get straight to the point.

Charlie's shoulders slumped. "I try to eat, but it's hard to. My throat hurts every time I swallow something."

"I understand that, but that doesn't mean that you should stop eating. You have to if you want to keep healthy." I gestured to the plate on the coffee table before him. "Why don't you eat your dinner and give Kate some peace of mind? She made it for you."

"Please?" Kate implored.

He banged his fist on the armrest. "No. I don't want to eat it. How can I, when Bella isn't here to eat it with me?" he demanded. Tears started to run down his cheeks. "She should be _here _with me this Thanksgiving, not wherever she is now! Where is she? Where is my daughter? Why hasn't she been found yet? My little baby is probably suffering, and none of us can do a damn thing about it!" he wept bitterly.

I could only stand there and watch him. I understood exactly how he felt. He asked all of the questions I asked myself every day.

Kate hugged him tightly. "Don't cry, baby. Carlisle's children and my family will find her soon. They really will," she comforted as he sobbed into her neck.

It took a while for him to settle down, but he eventually did. Kate wiped away his tears and convinced him to have dinner.

To our relief, Charlie managed all of his food. Kate was beaming with happiness as she took his plate to the kitchen to wash it.

"We are very proud of you, Charlie. I hope that you eat more in the future," I encouraged him with a smile.

He grinned back. "I will try to, but it probably won't be easy."

"I'm sure that Kate will be able to help you with everything."

"Oh, shut up," he grumbled, rolling his eyes at the tone of my voice. It had been full of implications.

I snickered, which amazed me. It had been the first time that I had laughed in weeks.

When Kate rejoined us, we watched TV until nine o'clock. Then I left, deciding to go for a hunt. Kate chose to remain at the house with him.

"Have fun, then. I will see you both tomorrow. Good-bye," I said.

"Later, Carlisle," Charlie declared.

"See you," Kate added.

I climbed into my Mercedes and we waved to each other as I drove away.

**Bella's POV**

_Continuing from last POV_

The Thanksgiving feast was surprisingly (from my viewpoint, at least) long and merry. As everyone ate, we talked and told stories about past holidays and other events.

Much to my astonishment, I enjoyed myself a lot. However, no one seemed to have more fun than EJ did.

For the entire time, he talked so rapidly that his words were jumbled up in his excitement, causing us to laugh.

"It's not funny!" he yelled, affronted because he did not think that we were taking him seriously.

The meal lasted for more than an hour. During that time, everybody except for Edward and Tanya stuffed themselves with seconds and thirds. Afterwards, we had pie, ice cream and hot chocolate for dessert. My stomach was bursting by the time Victor put the leftovers in the fridge and the dishes in the dishwasher.

Once the table was clean, we retired to the living room. The men wanted to play dominoes, so Jerry took them out of the closet.

And damn, were they loud while they played! EJ, Tanya, and I watched them with amusement and interest. They shouted good-natured and not so good-natured insults at one another often. Edward and I had to keep reminding them that our son was in the room.

"Sorry," they would tell us every time.

They spend a while playing the game. EJ, being full, leaned against me and soon feel into a deep, contented slumber. I kissed him on the cheek before Edward lifted him up to take him upstairs.

"All right, guys. I think that we should wrap it up. We don't want to wake EJ back up," he pointed out.

Everyone nodded. His friends followed him, supposedly to go to their rooms. I was thirsty, so I went to get a drink of water. Tanya said good-bye to us and left.

When I had sated my thirst, I headed upstairs. The hall was eerily still. I thought that this was very odd. The guys usually made a considerable amount of noise when they were in their rooms. Or one of them would play music. I could feel goosebumps raising on my arm.

Something wasn't right, but I couldn't think why. That is, until Edward poked his head out the second spare bedroom.

"Bella, can you come in here?" he questioned.

"Do I have to? I want to go to bed," I murmured.

He gave me the hairy-eyeball treatment, which meant that I had to listen to him. If I didn't want to wake EJ up, anyway.

Groaning to myself, I walked into the room. He closed the door and locked it.

"Look, Edward, I'm tired. What do you want?" I demanded rudely.

He smiled and rose an eyebrow. "You ought to know by now. My friends and I need you, of course."

I turned to look at them, noticing for the first time that they were there. I glared at him in disbelief. "You want me to have sex with all of you? Are you serious? You can't be!" I protested.

"Do I look as if I am joking?"

"I was hoping that you were."

"Well, I'm not. Take off your clothes and lay down."

Feeling sick, I glanced at his friends once more and shook my head.

He towered over me. "Take them off _now_, or else," he whispered menacingly.

"No. Go to hell," I retorted, making to step around him. I did not care if he threatened me anymore. I didn't have to obey him. And he wasn't going make me to do something I didn't want to do.

"Dammit, Bella! You just love to get on my bad side, don't you?" Edward growled, snatching me up. He threw me onto the bed and yanked off my clothes. Then he tied my wrists and ankles to the head and foot boards. All of this happened in five seconds. "Daniel, take care of her while I get undressed."

I struggled against the ropes that were binding me, but my efforts were futile. There was nothing that I could do except to keep as silent as possible. I was not going to let EJ hear us.

"Shit, Bella. You feel so good!" Daniel moaned, slamming into me as if his life depended on it. The others cheered him on quietly.

"Go, Dan, go!" Victor proclaimed.

"Harder!" Brad ordered.

"Faster! Make her like it!" Jerry added.

Seriously?

Daniel grinned at them before complying. The bed squeaked under us.

Everyone had their turns with me for fifteen minutes apiece, save for Edward. Because he was my "boyfriend", he was able to have his way with me the longest. In addition to that, Edward told me that the extra time spend with him was punishment for the refusing him.

"You deserve to be raped. You're lucky that I'm not beating the foolishness out of you while I'm doing this, you selfish bitch! Next time, you won't be so fortunate," he grunted, scowling into my face.

I seethed with rage and hatred as they forced themselves on me. I almost felt as if I were nothing more than a Thanksgiving turkey that was passed around. They handled me as roughly as if I were one too.

Finally, after two hours, Edward let me go. I put on my clothes before storming out of the door.

If this were any other time, I would be crying at the moment. Crying because I felt betrayed. Crying because I was not strong enough to stop him and his friends. Crying because I just wanted to go home.

However, I was furious as hell. And I was so tired. Tired of everything being off-kilter. Tired of the stress. Tired of living in fear when EJ was sleeping. Tired of not defending myself because Edward made me feel weak. Tired of not fighting back as often as I should. I have had enough of this! I couldn't take it anymore!

Well, next time, I would fight back. All I had to do was think of a plan of how to do it. I had to do something that would make them leave me alone. Or I could do something to one of them that will convince him and the others that I meant it when I said no. But it would have to work.

An idea came to me seconds later. One that was out of my characteristics if I was to follow through with it, not to mention gruesome and brutal. However, it was a spectacular one nonetheless. I didn't care if it was, as I mentioned, gruesome and brutal. They deserved it for everything that they did to me, which was beyond harsh.

Smirking, I went to my room to change and go to bed. I couldn't wait to get my revenge! It is going to be a bitch, I tell you!

(A/N: **PLEASE REVIEW!** HA-HA! You get left with another cliffhanger! :P

I am going to try to update this particular story more often because I know that you want Bella and EJ out of there. So do I. But she will not be dealing with Edward and his friends for much longer. They will be out of Newton Mearns a few days before Christmas, which is less than a month. The part of chapter where Bella finally gets it contact with Carlisle, and all of the chapter where he comes to get her, are already written. I'm going to lower the hammer on those sons-of-bitches, so stayed tuned! The title of the next chapter-"One Word: Snap. Enough Said".)


	16. One Word: Snap! Enough Said

**Bella's POV**

_November 24th to the 29th_

The next day was the start of the holiday season. The weather had gotten even colder. Christmas music was playing on the radio. The stores and malls in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and London were having clearance sales until December 26th.

Just as we had with Thanksgiving, Edward and I wanted to make sure that EJ's first Christmas was particularly special. Edward had even gone so far as to tell him to write his list to Santa Claus early.

EJ was more than happy to do so. "Okay, Papa! I'll start on it right now!" he declared.

It did not take long for him to think about what he wanted. He finished his list an hour later and gave it to us.

We looked it over. It was a fairly long list. Everything that was written on it was expected, though. Games, books, movies, clothes, and toys. Our son could be very predictable at times when he wasn't being perceptive.

Edward grinned at him after he was done reading the list. "Thank you, EJ. I don't believe that Santa will have trouble finding any of this for you. We will hold onto it until Christmas Eve. Before you go to bed that night, you can put it near the tree for Santa to read."

"_Awe_some! Thank you, Mama, Papa," EJ said.

"You're welcome," I remarked.

"No problem, son," Edward added.

Over the next few days, I felt very homesick. And it didn't help that I was already stressed out about being forced to deal with Edward and his pack of rapists every day. I was often so overwhelmed from bottling up all of the emotions that I had inside me that I would cry. I had to because if I didn't, I would explode. As always, crying was what kept me from going insane.

EJ caught me crying in my room once, when I was in my room. I had been sobbing quietly into my arm on the window-seat, just letting out the every negative emotion that I felt. The next thing I knew, the door opened, and there was silence.

At first, I thought that Edward had came in. However, when I glanced around, I saw EJ standing by the dresser. His brow was furrowed in confusion and sympathy.

"Mama? Why are you crying? What is the matter?" he queried as he ran over to me with a tissue.

I slid my arms around him as he climbed onto my lap. "Nothing serious. I'm just homesick. I've been feeling this way lately. I miss our family so much. I want to go home, but your papa wants to stay here longer," I croaked, telling part of the truth.

He laid his head on my shoulder. "Aww, Mama. It'll be okay. Papa said that we will go back to the United States soon. And when we do, we will see everyone again, and I will finally get to meet them. Don't cry...it makes me sad when you do. Here," he murmured, offering me the tissue.

"Thank you, baby," I sniffed, taking it from him. I wiped my eyes before kissing him on the cheek. "Thank you for being here for me and for trying making me feel better."

"I will always try to be there for you, Mama." He gave me a bear hug that nearly cracked my ribs.

"Whoa, careful EJ! You'll snap me in two if you hug me any harder. Can't...breathe," I gasped.

He let go of me. "Oops. Sorry."

I chuckled. "It's all right. Was there something that you wanted or needed by the way? I know that there must be a reason why you came in here."

"I heard you crying, and I wanted to know what was wrong. I knew that something must be if you were crying," EJ pointed out.

Ruffling his curls, I assured him, "Well, as I said, it's nothing serious. I'll be okay." I peered at my watch. "We should go downstairs, now. Lunch will be in five minutes."

We took each other's hands and I led him to the kitchen.

I waited until EJ was sleeping to cry after that day. I did not want him to keeping asking questions that I wouldn't be able to give him an honest, or even a _half_-honest, reply to.

Gradually, I learned to hide my true emotions from EJ. Even though I was glad that he was concerned for me, I never wanted to him how much I was really hurting inside most of the time. I did not want him to find out that I cried into my pillow every night. That I cried not only because I was homesick, but also because I was lonely, angry, and frightened. Ashamed, humiliated, heartbroken, miserable. Because with everything I was being put through, I basically felt like shit and sick to my stomach every minute of every day. I was also confused as to why I had to deal with this.

And finally, because I wished that I was with Carlisle. That Carlisle was his father instead of Edward. It would have made everything so much better for me. And if I was with Carlisle, I wouldn't be going through this. I loathed Edward (not to mention his gang of rapists) so much that I could actually taste the hatred. It was like blood to a human, coppery and disgusting.

I often wondered if EJ could tell if something was still the matter with me, or see through the mask that I put up. If he did, though, he did not mention it or ask about it. He did not give any indication that he did either. Perhaps he had received the message that I did not like it when he asked me about personal matters.

Pretty soon, it felt as if I was living in two different worlds, and I had unknowingly adapted to both of them.

One was full of joy, laughter, contentment and fun. This was only because of EJ. When he was awake, I felt at peace. Nothing could bother me or go wrong. And no matter what, I could always manage to smile, and to hide my true feelings behind one.

Putting up a mask was not easy, though. There were times when I needed to cry so much that it was all I could do keep it from crumbling. I had to be more careful than ever then.

The other world was full of darkness and shadows. Of fear, caution, doubt, and uncertainty. Of tears and pain (not physical pain, though.) Of unwanted looks and touches. Greedy hands and penises. Nausea.

All of this only reminded me that I wanted to get Edward and his pals back for what everything that they had done to me. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to yet. When Edward told me to "have sex" with him, or to help his friends, he wanted me to obey him pronto. Therefore, I did not have time to prepare for my revenge. However, I just had to figure out how I could. An opportunity would arise sometime.

So I waited impatiently for it to come. I had the need to teach them a lesson so badly that it made me jittery. I knew that day was coming soon. I could feel it.

And then, to my delight and relief, it finally did one evening.

**Carlisle's POV**

_November 29th, 2:45pm_

I had been attempting to keep myself occupied since Thanksgiving. It was very difficult to, however. It seemed that, no matter what, everything reminded me of Isabella. That she was not here with me.

Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie still had not found her. Neither had Eleazar, Carmen and Irina. But they were still looking for her with a devotion that was as intense as it had been in September.

While I was mulling this over, my cell phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. I glanced at my caller ID. It was Kate.

I flipped it open. "Hi Kate," I declared, trying to sound as upbeat as possible.

"Carlisle-I-need-you-to-come-over-here-right-now!" she stated in a panicked voice. She had spoken so fast that I almost did not understand what she told me.

Knowing instantly that something was up, I demanded concernedly, "Why? What is wrong?"

"Ch-Charlie..." she stammered. "Ch-Charlie...He-he..."

Oh, no! "What about him? Is he all right? Does he need to be taken to the hospital?"

"No! But he...He...Carlisle, he..."

"What is it, Kate? You can tell me."

Her next words came out in a rush. "It's all my fault, Carlisle! I wasn't careful, and I should have been! I had been washing the dishes for Charlie in vampire speed and listening to a song on the radio. I was so caught up in the music and in what I was doing that I didn't notice Charlie entering the kitchen until he screamed. And by then it was too late; he had already saw me! He looks like he's about to go crazy right now! What will I do?!" she inquired in fear.

"Stay right where you are! I will be there in less than ten minutes! Just try to keep him calm until I arrive at the house."

"Okay. Please hurry!"

I hung up and ghosted out the door. Before I knew it, I was speeding out of the driveway and down the road.

I could not believe what had happened. Charlie had unintentionally found out that we were not human way too soon. Kate and I now had a lot of explaining to do. I cringed at the idea of it. Nevertheless, it was not as if we wouldn't have done this anyway. Since Kate was his true other half, he would have been told that we were vampires eventually. He deserved to know. But we did not plan to do this until after Isabella had been brought home, and after he and Kate had been dating for a certain amount of time. How would he react to the news? What would he do?

Those questions were about to be answered.

Within a few short minutes, I was parking in Charlie's driveway. Kate opened the door seconds after I rang the bell.

"Oh, Carlisle, I'm glad you're here!" she exclaimed in relief.

"Where is Charlie? Has his condition changed?" I inquired.

She shook her head. "No, I managed to keep him relaxed. He's still in the kitchen."

"Is he doing anything?"

"No, he's just sitting at the table. He wants to drink a beer, but I told him no."

I sighed. "Ah. I can't say that I blame him. Well, I suppose that we had better go and talk to him."

Kate bowed her head. "All right. I just hope that he doesn't hate me after we tell him everything."

I embraced her. "He won't...he may have to get accustomed to the fact that we are not human, but that will probably be all. He is your soul mate, so he won't avoid you for long."

"I hope that you're right," she sighed.

"So do I. Let's go."

When we stepped into the kitchen, I noticed that Charlie looked unnerved, but it was apparent that he was beginning to settle down. I knocked on the wall to catch his attention.

He jumped and faced me. "Oh. Hey, Carlisle," he grunted.

"Good afternoon, Charlie," I returned. "Kate called me and told me what happened. I believe that you would like an explanation for why she was moving so rapidly?"

"Yeah, I do," he replied.

I gestured to the table. "May we sit here, please?"

He nodded. "Sure, go ahead."

When he had, an awkward silence filled the room. None of us could think of what to say.

I cleared my throat. "I am afraid that I don't know where to start," I admitted.

Charlie gave a tiny smile. "You can just tell me whatever you need to tell me. I'll be here all night-I don't have anything else to do."

That smile was a good sign. It showed that he was not too upset about what had transpired here moments ago.

I cleared my throat again. "Well..." I began, "we _were_ going to tell you what I am going to tell you sometime. It had not been our intention for you to know about us sooner than you needed to."

He frowned in bewilderment. "Know what about you two?"

I gulped, preparing for the worse. "That Kate and I are not human."

Charlie just stared. "You're kidding, right? This is a joke, isn't it?" he asked dubiously.

"No, I am afraid not," I responded.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "O-kay. So if you are not human, then what are you? Angels?"

Kate and I had to laugh.

"No, we are not angels, Charlie. We are quite the opposite. We are vampires."

"HA!"

We watched as Charlie slapped his hand against knee while he himself laughed.

"That's funny. Good one, Carlisle," he snickered.

It was not until he noticed that we were gazing at him solemnly that he became quiet. "You_ are_ joking, right?" he questioned, the grin disappearing from his face.

I shook my head. "No. I can prove that I am not too. That is, if you promise not to tell anyone. We would probably get in a world of trouble if you did."

"Go on, I wouldn't dream of doing that. If I told someone, they wouldn't believe me anyway. So what would be the use?"

I smiled. "Thank you, Charlie. Now, I will tell you everything you need to know about vampires and give you several demonstrations. Kate, you can help me out if you wish to. Oh, and Charlie, do not be scared when we show you what we need to show you. Neither of us mean you any harm."

"I'll try not to be."

Charlie listened to us closely as we explained our diets and eye colors. We also told him about how strong and fast we were and showed him how much. He was in a daze when I lifted the entertainment center with only one hand.

Then we told him that my children and Eleazar, Carmen, and Irina were also vampires. He was understandably surprised when I told him he that Isabella had already known what we were.

After that, we gave him information about the special abilities that some vampires had. Kate demonstrated hers-which was psychic electrokinesis-on both him and I. Basically, this meant that she zapped us with static. But she lessened her power so that we would not be harmed.

Finally, I explained everything about soul mates. About what happened when a vampire found his/her true other half. That their mate could be another vampire or even a human. I informed him that Kate was his and that Isabella was mine. I also told him that Alice and Jasper were soul mates, and so were Emmett and Rosalie and Eleazar and Carmen.

When we were done, Kate took his hand. "I'm sorry that I did not tell you this sooner. And if you are upset or frightened or both about what we told you. But as Carlisle said, we meant you no harm. I especially don't because I...I love you, Charlie. I had loved you ever since we first met. I could never intentionally hurt you. Please don't hate me for what I am. It would break my heart if you did," she murmured.

Charlie thought everything over for a long time. Once he had, he kissed her palm affectionately. "I...I know that you would never hurt me. I know that somehow, even if you are a...vampire."

He turned to me. "And Carlisle, I know that you wouldn't either. You have done nothing but help me since Bella had been kidnapped. And when Edward cheated on Bella and left her, you had been there for her. Always had been. If you had been dangerous, you would never have done any of that for us. I am grateful to you for everything."

I inclined my head and leaned forward. There was more that I had to tell him. "Thank you, Charlie. But there is another matter that we need to discuss. It involves Bella's kidnapping," I stated.

"What about it?" he queried with a worried scowl.

I pursed my lips. "Truthfully, it was Edward who had kidnapped her..."

"EDWARD?! HE TOOK MY DAUGHTER AWAY?!" he roared in fury, bolting up out of his chair.

"Yes. We know this because he has found a way to keep Alice from seeing his decisions. He can also prevent her from seeing the decisions of those who are near him. We are not sure of how far he can extend his gift. Alice has not been able to see visions of Isabella ever since Edward had kidnapped her."

"WELL, WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS BEFORE?!"

Kate gasped in surprise and horror.

"Because if I had, I would have had to explain that we are vampires..." I tried to reason with him.

"I DON'T CARE! I HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO MY DAUGHTER!" Charlie bellowed.

Feeling ashamed of myself, I nodded morosely. "You are right. I apologize for not informing you of this sooner."

"SO, WHERE IS HE?! WHERE HAD HE TAKEN BELLA?!"

I slumped in my seat. "I am afraid that I do not know. Neither do Kate, my children, or my other cousins. Because Alice cannot see them, she does not know where they are. So therefore, none of us do. We _do_ know, however, that she is not in the US or Canada. My children and cousins did not locate her here or there," I explained.

He peered at me before sitting back wearily. "Carlisle, you don't think that after all this time, she could be d...Is she still alive?" he demanded urgently.

"Alice would have seen it if she wasn't. So until she does, we know for a fact that she's alive," I assured him.

Sighing in fervent relief, he bobbed his head. "Good. I'm glad that she is. I just hope that she is found before it is too late. If something happened to my little girl...I don't know what I would do."

"I understand perfectly how you feel. I feel that way also."

Kate reached over to Charlie and stroked his arm. "Baby, calm down. Making yourself overly upset will not help you."

He pecked her on the lips. "I'm fine, Katrina. You don't have to worry about that. I just...I just want Bella to be all right. I hope that Edward isn't hurting her or anything."

"We all hope that he isn't."

**Bella's POV**

_December 1st  
_

The day had been a long, tiring one. Edward and I had helped EJ with his homework. Then we had to shop for more winter clothes in we had returned to the house, EJ took his nap as usual. Once he was asleep, Edward threatened me into "having sex" with Brad. I did not get the chance to avenge myself, then. However, I did later in the evening.

(Skip four hours)

It was now nine o'clock, meaning that it was time for EJ to go to bed. I looked for him and found him in the parlor watching TV alone.

"EJ, come on. It's bedtime," I declared.

He groaned. "Aww, Mama. Five more minutes?" he pleaded.

"Absolutely not, kiddo," I laughed, shutting off the TV. "Let's go upstairs so that you can brush your teeth and change into your pajamas."

"Okay," he sighed in defeat.

When he had finished doing both, I tucked him into bed.

"Good-night, baby. I love you," I whispered, kissing his temple.

He embraced me and tugged my hair gently. "Good-night, Mama. I love you too. See you in the morning."

I smiled at him before turning off the lamp. Then I headed for my own room, massaging my eyes. I was completely exhausted and wanted to sleep myself. But I knew that I would not be going to bed for a long while yet. Edward would prevent that from happening.

Sure enough, he zeroed in on me just as I had walked through the door.

"Bella, in ten minutes, I need you to do something for me," he stated.

I gaped at him wearily. "Please, Edward, not tonight. I'm too tired to. Can't I just go to bed?" I implored desperately.

"You can afterwards. I promise."

When I opened my mouth to argue, his eyes hardened. "You do not want to go there, Bella. Trust me."

Ooooh, I just _hated_ that prick! "Fine. Can I at least get something to drink before I do? Please?" I questioned, an idea coming to me all of a sudden.

I was thirsty, but not for water or juice or anything of the sort. I was thirsty for revenge. If he let me go downstairs, I could get it soon!

"Of course you can. But get dressed first and cover yourself up with your nightgown. Then come right back."

I wanted to fist pump and shout "Yes!", but that would look too suspicious.

"Whatever," I grumbled, keeping my face looking as cranky and moody as possible.

Once I had put on the lavender and black lingerie he set out for me, Edward looked me over. "That is a magnificent color on you. I like it. It makes me want to keep you up all night."

Ugh.

While he adjusted the costume, I peered at him dejectedly. "Edward, why? Why do you make me help your friends so much if you don't really want me to?"

He exhaled deeply. "Truthfully...it is to keep them from growing dissatisfied and leaving us. As long as they are here, I don't have to worry about them revealing what EJ, Tanya, and I are to other people. But if they leaving, we'll be risking our lives. I know that they promised not to say anything about us, but if we get on their bad side, they may change their minds. Or they may go out for, say, a drink and become drunk. They could mention us, and even if people do not believe them, they could have them committed. And if too many people talk about it, what they say could reach certain ears that we don't want them to reach. So therefore, I have to let my friends remain with us."

There was a pause.

"Edward, even though that mostly makes sense, that is one of the most stupidest and ridiculous things I've ever heard!" I remarked in disbelief.

"It _is_ pretty stupid and ridiculous, but it is what it is," he sighed. "Now...go and get yourself something to drink and meet me in the hallway."

Without a word, or complaint, I headed down to the kitchen. As I poured myself a glass of Coca-Cola, I took a small but very sharp knife from the dish rack. I listened to see if anybody was coming before sliding it in my corset. I had to make sure that I didn't poke or stab myself.

So far, so good.

I drank my soda quickly because I did _not_ want Edward after me. I rinsed out the cup, then went upstairs, carefully holding the knife in place.

"Are you ready?" Edward queried as approached him. He was leaning on the wall near Daniel's room.

"No, not really," I responded. I had to stop myself from trembling with excitement. "Do I _have_ to do this?"

He threw his arm around my shoulders. "If you want to keep our family safe, I'm afraid so. Here, I have just thought of something. Why don't you ask Daniel if you can do something that you like. You may enjoy yourself, then."

"You know," I murmured pensively, a grin spreading across my face. "That is actually a wonderful idea. Do you think I should?"

"Definitely." he smiled, pleased that I agreed with him for once. If only he knew why. "And while you're at it, have fun. Go crazy."

I certainly would.

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. I'll try to."

He kissed me on the lips. "Excellent. Now go and make this vampire happy. I'll be in our room." He ghosted away.

I knocked on Daniel's door.

"Come in," he announced from the other side.

I entered the room and locked the door.

Daniel smirked. "Oh, it's you. About time. I was beginning to wonder if you were even coming. Well, take off your nightgown and get over here," he ordered.

"Uh, Daniel?" I mumbled as I slipped it off. I prayed that he didn't see the imprint of knife on the right side of my corset.

"Yeah? What is it?" he asked. "If it's about not doing this, the answer is no."

I shifted. "No, it's not that. Um...I was wondering if we could maybe...do something that I like?" I inquired, using an appropriate amount of hesitation.

He frowned in bewilderment. "What do you mean?"

Clearing my throat, I explained, "I mean when we have...sex. I wanted to do a position I like, perform something that I like to do."

"Oh!" He brightened. "That won't be a problem, sweetie! What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Bondage," I replied after thinking it over. It would work for what I planned to do. "I love that."

"Really? I didn't believe that you did. You always seem to hate it," he observed.

I held up my hand. "I'm not talking about putting _me_ in bondage. I mean putting _you_ in bondage. Then I could do you cowgirl style."

Daniel burst out laughing. "I like the sound of that! I'll get the ropes."

"Sure. And get the gag too...the one that has the apple thing that goes in your mouth."

"Okay, but wait." He narrowed his eyes at me in suspicion and distrust. "You're not going to run when I am all tied up are you?"

"Edward would catch me and bring me back here if I tried. So, I can't anyway."

He nodded. "Yeah, that's true. Well, I'll get the stuff then."

I sat down on the bed while he took four ropes and a gag out of his dresser. He handed them to me.

"Thanks. Now, take off your bottoms and put your condom on. Lay down for me. Put your hands to your sides and open your legs," I instructed.

He eagerly and hastily obeyed me.

With a giggle, I bound his wrists to the frame underneath the mattress. After that, I tied his ankles to the foot board and put the gag on him.

Once I had made sure that the ropes were on tightly, I yanked off my thong. Then I crawled onto him.

"Ready?" I asked.

He inclined his head.

"Good. Now." I took out the knife and held it up with an evil smile. "Let's get started!"

"_What the fuck_?!" Daniel exclaimed in a muffled voice, his eyes widening in terror. "BELLA, NOOO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Yes! Oh yes!"

I dove toward his left arm. He attempted to move it, but he couldn't. The rope was way too tight.

I grabbed his forearm and, with the knife, I cut the word RAPIST into it in huge capital letters. Then I scrawled the word onto the other arm.

Blood oozed onto the bed in torrents, and I was careful not to touch it or breathe. The smell of it always made me lightheaded.

I had finally snapped.

By the time I had finished writing RAPIST on both arms, Daniel was screaming and crying in agony.

"That is to remind you of what you are, and for causing me all of this stress, you sick motherfucker! I would have killed you, but you deserve to read that word on your arm everyday. And you deserve to go through pain like I do. Hopefully, it will teach you a lesson. Now," I proclaimed. "It's time for the grand finale!"

And I brought the knife down into his side. He yelled once more. "NO! STOP!" he wept.

I was just about to stab him again when I felt cold hands on mine.

"Drop the knife, Bella!" Edward growled. "Drop it this instant!"

But I didn't have the chance to. He snatched it out of my hand and did it for me. Then he untied Daniel, and with a fleeting glance of horrified shock towards me, he carried him out of the room. I heard a door open as he called for Brad.

I put on my nightgown. As I strutted to my room in triumph, I grinned widely to myself.

Revenge was sweet.

(A/N:** REVIEW!** HA-HA! What did you think of that? That bastard got what was coming to him! There are two more major events, which will be put into two chapters. If I can, I could put both into one chapter if it won't be too long. After that-or those two chapters-will be the chapter where Bella is finally able to contact Carlisle. The chapter after that will be when she leaves Newton Mearns. Ciao!)


	17. Avenging Your Friend Doesn't Work!

**Bella's POV**

Thankfully, none of Daniel's screams woke EJ up. Putting the gag on him was a splendid idea.

Brad was patching him up in the second spare bedroom at the moment. After Edward had placed Daniel under his care, he came to our room to argue with me.

"Have you lost your mind?" he hissed through clenched teeth.

"Perhaps I did," I replied with a smirk.

He crossed him arms. "Nothing about this situation is humorous, Bella. You could have killed him! You probably would have caused him permanent damage if I hadn't showed up! You may have already."

I harrumphed. "Well, it's lucky that you did, then. Otherwise, I probably would have gotten the idea to do that. Cause him permanent damage, I mean...I wasn't going for the kill at all. And _he's_ lucky that you _did_ arrive in time, or else I would have had the idea to cut his dick off. He would have deserved it too, just like he deserved what I already did to him."

"You are unbelievable," he exclaimed, shaking his head in incredulity. "You do not feel any remorse for what you have done." This was a statement, not a question.

I scowled at him. "Why should I? He had raped me more times than I can count, and he isn't the only one who had either. So don't stand there and tell me that what I did wasn't justifiable!"

"Maybe from your viewpoint it isn't. But carving the word "rapist" into a person's arm with a _knife_ is way over the top, not to mention insane!"

"Oh, fuck you, Edward. Just leave me alone. If you're so worried about your friend, why don't you go check on him and see if he'll be okay instead of bothering me? You care more about him than you care about me."

"That is a vicious lie, Bella! Would I take care of you and make sure that you are safe if I didn't?"

I did not answer him, just turned over in the bed.

"The woman is impossible," he grumbled to himself as he left the room.

"Yes, I certainly can be," I agreed.

He huffed and closed the door.

Early the next morning, Daniel's condition was revealed. Brad had managed to stop the bleeding in both of his arms. He treated them and wrapped them with bandages. It would take a long time for the words to disappear from them, if they ever did at all. The damage was mostly likely to be permanent. I had really cut him that badly. The stab wound on his side was not life-threatening. Brad had no trouble in stitching it back up.

The silence at breakfast was thick as everyone ate. Nobody spoke much. Daniel had obviously chosen not to join us because he wasn't sitting in his usual place at the table. Everyone knew not to mention him. (By this time, Jerry and Victor had also found out about what I had done to him as well.) EJ would only ask questions that we could not answer truthfully.

"Is everybody okay?" EJ inquired of the room at large. He could tell that something was up. "You are all unusually quiet this morning. And where is Uncle Daniel?"

Edward glanced at him. "We are fine, son. Daniel is laying down in his room. He isn't feeling very well." His response was careful.

"Oh," EJ mumbled, taking bites of his pancakes. "He must be hungry, though. Won't he have breakfast too?"

"Uncle Victor will fix a plate for him after we are done our breakfast. Don't worry too much about him. Uncle Daniel will be fine soon. All right?"

EJ nodded. "All right, Papa."

Daniel stayed in bed for the entire day and all of the next two. Edward told me that he was in a lot of pain, especially when he moved. Brad had to give him morphine once a day.

"Serves him right," I grinned.

"You should be ashamed of yourself. That is a cruel and heartless thing to say," he scolded.

"Oh well."

It was not until the fourth day after the incident that Daniel was able to leave his room. I had been taken aback when I noticed him sitting at the kitchen table for breakfast. His friends and Edward were talking to him. EJ was drumming his fingers on the table in boredom.

When Daniel saw me come in, he turned away from me and cringed. I had to keep myself from laughing in amusement.

Edward frowned at him. "What is the matter, Daniel? Is your side cramping up again?" he queried in concern.

"No. A little bit of pain flared up, but I'm okay otherwise," he whispered.

"Did Brad give you some pain reliever?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. He told me that it would be better if I eat some food first."

Minutes later, Victor served us our food. Daniel had oatmeal because it would be easier on his stomach. The rest of us had eggs, bacon, and fried potatoes.

As we ate, I kept smiling wickedly at Daniel when EJ wasn't paying attention. This made him very uncomfortable. He would squirm and gaze at me in fear, then look down at his oatmeal. Edward caught me doing this after I had done it five times. He shot me a stare that told me to quit it and leave him alone. I did so reluctantly, but not without another grin.

Edward confronted me in our room about this later, when EJ was napping. "Why were you scaring Daniel at breakfast? That was uncalled for," he remarked sternly.

"I wasn't scaring him. All I did was smile at him. What's wrong with that?" I demanded in frustration.

"The way that you smiled at him made him frightened. Don't let me catch you scaring him again. Do you hear me?" he questioned.

I snorted. "What will you do about it if I did? Beating or raping me won't work. It will just make me want to get revenge on you too."

He rose an eyebrow. "And how do you plan to do that? I am a vampire. It is almost impossible to for _you_ to hurt _me_."

I thought it over. "Yeah, that is kinda true. Still, if it weren't for EJ, I _would_ have allowed myself to take a liking in playing with matches if you _did_ do something to me."

Narrowing his eyes, Edward said in a low, menacing voice, "You would never have dared."

"Oh really? And how do you know this? You can't read my mind, so you have no idea of what I can plan to do," I pointed out smugly as I laughed in his face.

And on that note, I headed downstairs to get an afternoon snack.

Edward was not the only one who was upset that I had hurt Daniel. Brad, Jerry, and Victor were too. I often caught them glaring at me in fury when we passed each other in the hall. It didn't bother me, though. They couldn't do anything to hurt me, and they didn't. I supposed that they were too afraid to mess with me. After what I did, they likely that I had gone crazy and would cut them up too.

They had even stopped asking Edward if they could get me to "have sex" with them. I was so, so happy about that. It was one less thing that I had to deal with. Of course, Edward himself still made me "sleep" with him every night. But I was able to ignore him whenever he was using me for his own needs. I was gloating in my own personal victory too much to pay him any mind.

Daniel had been very depressed since the first day he left his room. He barely talked to anyone, even his friends. He kept to himself and moped around the house. At times, I saw him wandering around in a daze, as if he could never quite believe what had happened to him. He would rub his arms a lot too, and peer at them sadly.

My life was great for the most part. Except for Edward, no one bothered me. I was often left alone unless I was dealing with him. The both of us continued to give EJ his schooling and spend fun times with him.

For a while, I thought that everything would go on like this. That everything would flow by peacefully from here on out. But I was wrong, horribly wrong.

At the end of the next week, I found out that I was not the only person who was thinking about revenge. Three other people were too.

(Saturday, December 9th)

It was 10:00 in the evening. I was alone in the parlor. Edward and his friends were upstairs. EJ was asleep in bed.

At the moment, I was watching an interesting show on TV. I was also cutting cheddar cheese to go along with the green apple slices and crackers that I had.

Once I had finished with the cheese, I began to eat my snack. A woman on the show said something funny, and I had to keep myself from choking as I laughed.

Just I was really enjoying myself, Brad, Jerry, and Victor came down the stairs. They frowned at me in rage as they stood before the TV.

I glared back at them. "Get out of my way, you shitheads," I ordered coldly.

They did not move a muscle. Instead, Victor pointed a shaking finger at me. His mouth opened and closed, but he was so angry that a sound did not come out of it.

"You little bitch!" he hissed at last. "Do you have any idea of how much you hurt our friend? Of how depressed he is? I can't believe that Edward is letting you run free as if you haven't committed a crime. He didn't even punished you like he normally would have done! He should have had you locked up in prison or in a mental institution! If it wasn't for him, we would have written stuff on _your_ arms with a knife long time ago! You are lucky that he won't let us hurt you."

"Lucky for me and too bad for you," I muttered in a voice that said that I didn't care.

"No," Jerry announced. "You are _not_ lucky at all."

"Oh really? Why not?"

All three of them walked over to where I was sitting.

Jerry gave a twisted smirk. "Because we can still punish you."

He dove onto me. We slid off of the couch and landed on the floor. I grabbed the knife that I used to cut the cheese from the table and made to stab him with it. Unfortunately, Brad took it out of my hand.

"Oh, no. You're not going to be doing that anymore," he stated, tossing it out sight.

I was really in trouble now.

"Get...off...of...me..." I grunted as I struggled against Jerry. I kicked him and tried to punch him, but Victor pinned my wrists to the floor.

"Quit moving around, you psycho-maniacal bitch!" Jerry commanded.

"I will be one if you don't get off of me!" I remarked.

I struggled some more, but he was too strong. Brad and Victor held me as Jerry removed my jeans and underwear. Then he yanked down his own and put a condom on.

After that, Jerry hovered over me. "Ready for your punishment, sweetie?" he inquired in a mock-gentle voice.

"Fuck no!" I retorted.

He cocked his head to the side. "Oh, that's too bad. But no matter. I am going to start anyway."

And then he slammed into me.

"_Yes_," Jerry breathed as he pounded into me. "Returning revenge feels so fucking _good_." He kissed me on the forehead and smiled at me. "But you don't think revenge is sweet anymore now, do you?"

I did not answer him except to hiss, "Jerry, shut up and get off of me."

"I can't. You feel too damn good."

"Maybe. But your breath doesn't smell too damn good."

Brad and Victor laughed in spite of themselves.

Jerry glared at them before shifting his attention back to me. "Someone has a smart mouth. I think that I should shut it up for her."

He attempted to cover my mouth with his hand, but I bit his finger. He pretty much figured out then that "shutting me up" wasn't such a bright idea, so he did not do it again.

After Jerry was finished with me, Brad and Victor had their turns. I whispered to Edward the whole time, pleading for him to help me, telling him that his friends were raping me. He never showed up. Needless to say, I was _ furious_. That asshole never did shit for me when I really needed him to!

I was beyond happy when they had finally gotten off of me. I moved to sit up, but they held me down once more.

"This is a reminder to you that no matter how hard you try to get the better of _any_ of us, it will _not_ work," Brad stated. "We will always win in the end because we can always get you back. We are also much stronger than you could ever be. So getting your revenge will never work the way you want it to. Remember that."

Then he and Jerry and Victor let me go and headed for the stairs.

Is that what he thought?

Was that really suppose to scare me? Where was my fucking knife? I would show them a thing or two!

I looked around and found it near the entertainment center. I picked it up and bolted after them.

They were having an animated talk in the hall when I had reached the landing. Their backs were facing me, so they did not see me. They did not hear me either because they were too absorbed in their discussion.

Seizing this opportune chance, I dashed forward with my knife poised for a strike.

Brad noticed me. "Victor, look out!" he warned.

He pushed Victor to the side just as I was about to stab his spine. They tried to get away from me, but I was on their tail, slashing the knife at them like a psychopath. I kept missing because they jumped out of the way too quickly.

I managed to pounce on Jerry and knock him to the floor. I thrusted the pointy end of the knife onto his Adam's apple. Fuck writing words onto people's arms. I was going to end this son of a bitch's days for what he did to me! Jerry knew what I was thinking because he gazed at me in fear.

Just as I was about to slit his throat, however, I was grabbed from behind. I turned to stab the person who snatched me up, but I was pushed onto the floor.

I struggled and reached behind me with the knife. To cut, to kill, and to maim. But the person was able to prevent himself from getting hurt.

"Hurry up, Brad! Get the sedative! She has gone crazy!" I heard Edward whisper urgently.

There were a number of footsteps, and abruptly, my left sleeve was pulled up. Something rubbery was tied around my arm, and then there was a painful pinch in my shoulder.

"Owww," I whimpered.

When the needle was removed from my skin, I proceeded to struggle again. But I rapidly grew too exhausted to move. My head slumped onto the ground, and the next thing I knew, darkness surrounded me.

I was out like a light.

**EJ's POV**

I was awakened by noises that were outside of my room. I had a feeling that something was wrong. The atmosphere was thick and tense. I got out of bed and opened my door.

Papa was helping Uncle Jerry off of the floor. Uncle Victor stood next to them while Uncle Brad walked away from them with a frown. I did not see Mama. She was probably asleep in her and Papa's room.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Papa looked at me. "Nothing important, EJ. Uncle Jerry fell. That's all. You can go back to sleep," he said.

"Okay," I mumbled, closing my door.

I did not really believe him. Something was up. Why else would Uncle Jerry be on the floor while Uncle Brad walked away from them, looking very upset? Why else would the atmosphere feel as tense as it did.

After thinking about it, I realized that they had probably gotten into another fight. My uncles loved to do that for fun, but sometimes, the fights went a little too far. But that happened every once in a while, so I didn't worry about it.

With a shrug, I climbed back into bed and fell asleep.

((A/N: **REVIEW!** What did you think of all that? I know that this chapter was shorter than the others. I did not want to getinto the descriptions about how depressed Bella is. We've seen enough of that. Still, I hoped that you liked the chapter. Two more major events to go! (I know I said that in my last A/N, but I had momentarily forgotten about one of the next two.) Stay tuned! Bella will be rescued shortly!)


	18. I Should Never Have Lent EJ That Book

**Bella's POV**

"Mama? Can you give me another book to read, please? One that's a more challenging? I finished reading _Harry Potter and_ _t__he Chamber of Secrets_," EJ announced while I was in my room looking over a few clothes.

It had been two days since Brad, Jerry, Victor tried to avenge Daniel. Nothing particularly crazy happened in that time. They avoided me more often now, thinking that I had completely lost my mind. I did not care...I was happy that they stopped bothering them. And as long as they didn't mess with me, I left them alone too. Edward was upset with me because of what I almost did to them. However, when he realized that arguing with me about it wouldn't work, he reluctantly just let it go.

Looking down at my son, I exclaimed, "You finished reading it already? I gave you that book just yesterday!"

He shrugged with a grin. "Please, Mama?"

"Sure, hold on."

I went over to my bookshelf. After browsing over a few titles, I picked out _To Kill A Mockingbird_. That was certainly difficult enough for someone at the age he looked now.

With a smile, I handed the book to him. "Here you go, EJ. This is very famous back home in the United States. Try to see if you can read and understand that. There is mild cursing in it, but just ignore that. If you don't understand something, feel free to ask me any questions. The book is a little tough to comprehend when you first read it."

EJ tugged one of my curls affectionately. "I will if that happens."

I gave him a kiss. "I hope that you enjoy the story. If you don't, I'll lend you another one."

"Okay, Mama."

**EJ's POV**

As soon as Mama gave me the book, I headed straight to my room. I looked at the back cover of the book first to see what the story was about before reading it. I always did that to see if I thought that the plot was interesting or not. It was, so I turned to the first page.

While reading it, I believed that Mama was right about what she told me. It was a little tough to comprehend. But I did not have to ask her a lot of questions because I understood most of what was going on.

One thing that I really had trouble understanding, though, was rape. I knew that it wasn't something good, of course. Tom Robinson had been thrown in prison for it.

I read Atticus' definition of it. He said that it was "carnal knowledge of a female by force and without consent." I didn't get it though. What was carnal knowledge? What was consent? I decided to ask Mama and Papa. Maybe they knew what Atticus meant.

I found the opportunity to do this after lunch the next day.

Mama and Papa had gone to the den with me so that we could spend our time together. While we were playing Chinese Checkers, Mama brought up the book.

"I told Papa that you are reading _To Kill A Mockingbird_. Do you like it?" she asked.

Nodding, I replied, "Yes, so far. It's a great book. I can see why it is famous."

"Are you having any trouble with reading or understanding it?"

"I can read it pretty well, but I came across something, and I don't understand it. I wanted to ask you and Papa about it, if it's all right?"

Mama smiled. "Go ahead, baby. You know that you can ask us anything."

I cocked my head to the side. "Mama, Papa, what is rape exactly? Atticus said that it was 'carnal knowledge of a female by force and without consent,' but his definition wasn't very clear to me. And what is carnal knowledge and consent?"

Suddenly, Mama looked extremely uncomfortable, as if my question bothered her. Papa seemed just as uneasy as she did.

"Well?" I drew out the word.

Mama exchanged a glance with Papa. Her eyes appeared to be asking him something.

Papa nodded to her silent question and turned to me. "EJ...rape is when someone forces another person to have sex with them without permission...which means without their consent. It is against the law to do that. A person can be thrown in prison for doing that, like Tom Robinson was in the story.

"When someone is raped, it is a very frightening, upsetting, and often painful experience for them to go through. Notice that I did not say women, but someone. Men can be raped too. They become scared of the person who raped them, or of people in general. They often go to therapy so that they can talk about how they feel about what happened to them, and learn how to cope with and control their emotions, which often go haywire.

"Most of the time, the person will think that it was their own fault that they were raped, but that is not true. _No one_ deserves to be raped. Furthermore, _n__othing_ gives anyone the right to rape another person, even if someone thinks that a person deserves to be raped. _Nothing_."

I thought this over. "Oh, okay. That makes a lot of sense. But what is sex?"

They were really uncomfortable this time.

"It is basically something that people do for pleasure, and something that a man and woman does to have children," Papa explained.

"Was that how I was born?"

"Yes."

"Well, what does it look like when someone has sex?"

Mama pursed her lips. "I am afraid that we can't tell you that, EJ. You are too young to know that," she said.

I frowned. "Is sex something that only grown-ups do? And something that grown-ups should know about?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"Oh. All right. You don't have to tell me about it if it's wrong to then. But what you meant about rape is that it is illegal, forced, and bad sex?"

They nodded.

I mostly understood it now. "Okay."

However, I found out what sex was the next evening by accident. And when I did, I wished that I hadn't.

It was one of the most terrible things that ever happened to me.

I had finished _To Kill A Mockingbird_ late in the afternoon. When I went to give the book back to Mama, she was surprised.

"Wow, EJ! I can't believe that you are done reading this so soon! It's a long story. Did you like the rest of story? What did you think about it?" she asked.

"The book was good. I loved it! But I think that what happened to Tom Robinson was very unfair, being sent back to prison just because he is black. He wasn't the one who hurt Mayella Ewell. It was her father Bob, and that is just plain wrong. She was his daughter and he was supposed to be kind to her and love her," I pointed out.

She nodded. "Yes, he was. Not everyone treats their children fairly, though. And some do not even love their own kids, which is very sad to me."

I agreed with her. "It is to me too. But it also makes me glad that you and Papa love me."

Mama embraced me tightly. "How could we not love you, Edward Jacob? You are our son. We couldn't imagine life without you. You have no idea of how happy you make us."

Kissing her on the cheek, I whispered, "I love you too, Mama. You and Papa."

We held each other for a long minute, then she let me go. "There are a few things that I have to do now. Do you want me to lend you another book?"

"No, not right now. Maybe later or tomorrow. I think that I'll just go watch some TV."

"See you later, then. Have fun."

Uncle Daniel was sitting in the parlor by himself when I came downstairs. He had been very quiet and sad lately, and I could never figure out why.

He glanced at me. "Hi EJ," he mumbled.

"Hey, Uncle Daniel. What are you watching?" I asked, pointing at the TV.

"Just some movie that came on a few minutes ago."

"Can I watch it with you?"

"Sure, I don't care."

I went to the kitchen to get a bag of chips and some soda, then returned to the parlor. I sat down in the armchair.

As we watched the movie, I noticed that Uncle Daniel wasn't paying attention to it. He looked as if he was daydreaming about something that bothered him.

I decided that it would be better if he was alone. Before I stood up, though, a very interesting and weird scene popped up on the movie.

A man was hovering over a woman in bed. They kissed each other on the lips for a second, and then the man started to bounce on her. It looked _exactly_ like what I saw Papa doing to Mama less than a month ago, that night when I saw him hitting her.

The only difference was was that the man and the woman looked like they were enjoying it. The man was grunting like Papa had that night, and the woman was moaning. But it was apparent that Mama did not enjoy it when Papa was bouncing on her, even though Papa did. I could tell that he liked it.

The next thing I knew, the TV was switching to another channel.

I frowned at Uncle Daniel in confusion. "What do you do that for?" I asked.

He turned to me. "They were having sex. You are too young to see people doing that on TV or anywhere else," he replied.

Sex? _That_ was what is was, and what it looked like?

I knew better than to ask him that, so I just said, "Oh. I'm going to go to my room now."

When I did, I thought about everything that I just saw.

So that was what Mama and Papa were doing that night when he was bouncing on her. They were having sex.

But if they were doing that, then why wasn't Mama enjoying it like Papa was? The woman on the movie was after all, just like the man did.

Then I remembered what Mama was doing that night. She had been crying and shouting at Papa, telling him to get off of her. That he was hurting her. She was also begging him to stop and to let her go.

It sort of reminded me of what Mayella Ewell told Mr. Gilmer in _To Kill A Mockingbird_, after he asked her if she screamed when she had been raped.

_"...Reckon I did, hollered for all I was worth, kicked and hollered loud as I could," _she had said.

Mama did not fight Papa, but she _was_ struggling to get away from him. Since she was human and he was a vampire, he was much stronger than her. She would not have been able to push him off of her. In fact, she could barely move at all.

So if Mama did not enjoy having sex with Papa because she did all of that, and because he was hurting her, then that could only mean that...

Wait a minute...

Oh, no.

Oh, my God! No! _No_!

Papa _raped_ her?!

I thought I was going to throw up. I felt sick to my stomach! Plus, I was very angry! He raped her! Papa raped Mama while he was hitting her! Why would he do that to her? I thought that he loved her!

Oh, my God, was Mama _okay_? Or was she still hurting because of what Papa did to her? Would she have to go into therapy like people often did when they had been raped? Papa did say that it was a "frightening, upsetting, and often painful experience" for someone.

I had to go and talk to Mama. I needed to know if she was all right!

I ran like a crazy person to Mama and Papa's room. Mama was the only one in there, which was good. It would be better if I spoke to her alone.

Mama looked up from her novel. When she saw my face, she frowned in worry and concern.

"Hey, baby. What's the matter? Are you okay?" she asked.

I dove onto the bed and answered her question with my own.

"Mama?" I whispered. "Did Papa rape you? The night I saw him hitting you, I mean?"

**Bella's POV**

As soon the words came out of his mouth, the blood drained from my face. The book that I was holding fell out of my hand.

Wha-? How-?

_How did he find this out?!_

It took a moment to find my voice. "EJ...how...how do you know if he raped me or not? You...you don't even know what sex looks like...so you can't know if he did..." I gasped.

"Yes, I do Mama!" EJ interrupted. "I was watching a movie with Uncle Daniel, and during the movie, a man was bouncing on a woman like I saw Papa doing to _you_. Then Uncle Daniel changed the channel because he said that I was too young to see people having sex."

"Uncle Daniel told you what they were doing?!" I nearly yelled. I was going to kill that bastard!

He inclined his head. "Yes. I don't know why he did, though. But Mama...are you all right? Are you hurting because Papa did that to you? Please tell me. I'm scared! I don't want you to feel hurt!" he cried as tears began to roll down his cheeks.

I wrapped my arms around him. "No, baby, I'm not hurting anymore. Don't cry. Remember when I told you that Papa did not mean to hurt me? That he had just lost his temper, and when that happens, he does things that he really doesn't mean to do?"

"Mm-hmm," EJ sniffed. "Papa even apologized to both of us."

"Yes, he did," I remarked with a forced smile. "And I knew that you could see that he was sorry. Otherwise, you wouldn't have forgiven him so easily."

"Did Papa ever rape you again after that night? Or did he ever rape you before I was born?"

Knowing that I had to lie, I responded, "Of course not. That was the only time he did that to me. But like I said before, he did not rape me or beat me on purpose."

He must have believed me because he said, "Good. But have you ever forgiven him for that yet?"

I bit my lip, not knowing what to tell to him.

He noticed my hesitation. "Well, if you didn't, I can understand why. That was a terrible thing for Papa to do."

"You're right, it was. I am still trying to forgive him, though, because I know that he would never have hurt me like that on purpose if he hadn't been so upset. You know that he loves me."

"I know. I don't believe that he would mean to hurt you either. But won't Papa have to go to prison?"

Edward deserved to be taken to one. "No. He said that he was sorry and he really meant it. Besides, it wouldn't do any good if he _was_ taken to prison. He would just bust the cell wall and escape."

EJ chuckled, finally relieved. "Yeah, that's true. Will you have to go into therapy?"

I shook my head. "I don't think that I need to. I had pretty much gotten over the fact that Papa had hurt me."

"Are you sure, Mama?"

"Yes, EJ. That happened weeks ago...and he did apologize. I can't hold a grudge against someone for long."

"Then you should forgive Papa if that's the case. Maybe then, you will completely get over what he did to you."

"Perhaps."

He embraced me. "I'm glad that you are okay, Mama," he whispered.

I hugged him back and kept him in my arms for a long time. "Thank you, sweetheart. Thank you for caring about me." I kissed his temple.

"I was mad at Papa, and I almost hated him. But I'm not anymore because I know that he didn't mean to hurt you now."

"That's good. I don't want you to hate him or be mad at him."

When I let EJ go, he inquired, "Do you still love Papa?"

"Yes," I lied once more. "I can't hate him for hurting me when he did not mean to." Then I glanced at the clock. "Dinner will be in a half an hour. We better get ready to go downstairs soon. And when we do, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, Mama. What?"

"Don't mention what we just talked about to anyone, especially what your Papa did. I don't want anybody else to know about it."

"I understand what you mean. I won't tell anyone. I promise."

We embraced each other once more, then I made him leave. I really had to think all of this over.

Once the door was closed, I stood up and paced the length of the room.

The first thing that I needed to do was to have a serious talk with Daniel, and possibly strangle him. I did not blame him for explaining to EJ what he saw the man and woman doing on TV. Still, he should have known better than to do that. EJ was a child. for goodness' sake! He had no business knowing something that he did not need to know too much about. What Edward had told him about sex and rape the other day was enough.

I could not help but feel enraged that EJ had figured out that Edward had raped me. I was not surprised that he had, however. EJ was, of course, very intelligent. It would not have taken long to connect what he saw on TV to what he saw Edward doing to me, and realize that it was rape.

I really had to speak to Edward about this as soon as EJ was asleep. He needed to know about this, that EJ had found out what he did.

(Later)

I had spoken to Daniel in private after dinner. I did not mention what EJ said about him raping me, just about the fact that he told him about the man and woman having sex on TV.

"You better not allow him to see something like that again, or tell him about anything that is not appropriate for children to know. Ever. If you do, you will not like the consequences. Am I clear on that?" I demanded.

Daniel trembled violently as he gaped at me with fear. He was still scared of me. "Yes, you're clear," he stammered.

"Good."

The rest of the evening went by slowly. Nine o'clock could not seem to get here quick enough, but finally it did.

Edward put EJ to bed tonight. Usually I did, but I chose to let him do it this time while I waited for him.

I had to wait for a bit, but he finally came the room twenty minutes later.

"Hi Bella. Are you ready for us to get started? Is that why you are sitting up and waiting for me?" he questioned, referring to him using me for pleasure.

"No. I have to talk to you about something important. Is EJ sleeping? I don't want him to hear us."

He sighed as he laid down next to me. "Yes, he's sleeping. So, what is it?"

I wrapped my arms around my knees. "Did you read EJ's mind at all tonight?"

Edward nodded. "Yes. And am I right to assume that you want to talk about the discussion you had with him earlier?"

"Yes. Edward, we need to be really careful from this point onward. So will your friends. If he catches me being raped by you or any of them again, or if he finds out that I am, there will be trouble. We can't lie to him about what rape is anymore now that he _knows_ what it is, not to mention sex."

"I know that, Bella. Why do you think I tell you not to fight us or refuse to do what we tell you? Well, you know it is to keep you from getting hurt and from arguing with us. But it is also to prevent EJ from find out. I know that you must know that..."

"No duh, Edward. Why do you think that I don't fight you back anymore?"

"...So you do know that if we argue, we could wake up EJ as we had on that night. And if I was to hurt you by, say, punching you in the lip, he will want to know why it was bleeding. I could never look him in the eye again if that happened."

I snorted. "I'm amazed that you can at all after he saw you raping me that night."

A pained expression crossed his face. "Truthfully, I wasn't able to for a week or so. I could when you were around, but only because I did not want you to think anything of it."

"Well, I am now. If I were you, I wouldn't have been able to gain the courage to do that even after a week, let alone a month."

He exhaled deeply. "I don't know how I was able to myself."

"Me neither, unless it's because you're evil."

Edward looked dejected now. "Perhaps I am."

Perhaps my ass. He was evil to the core. Well, almost. He would not look so ashamed about it-or have been unable to look EJ in the eye, even if only for a week-if we was.

"Anyway. Just remember what I said about being careful," I admonished.

"I will, and I will make sure that my friends do also. You should be careful too."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, you don't have to worry about_ me_. Trust me, I have been able to after that night I am quite capable of keeping my end of the deal."

That was what I thought until disaster struck later that week, on Friday.

(A/N: **PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!** Please don't hate me for what happened in this chapter. There is one more major event to go, which will be in the next chapter. The next two chapters after that one will be the most important in this fanfic ((so far.)) The next chapter is titled: _My Attempt to Escape Falls to Ruin_. Just something for you to think about. Ciao!)


	19. My Attempted Escape Falls to Ruin

**Bella's POV**

Thursday passed by without any drama. EJ had a long, serious talk with Edward about his raping me. Once he reassured EJ that he did not mean to hurt me, and that I was fine, everything was at peace between them.

I hated that I felt that it was best to lie to EJ when this particular situation arose, but I was not certain if Edward did. I could read that boy's mind. (Not that I would really want to; he was such a lunatic. Anything I saw in his head would be too disturbing.)

Still, I did not like to think of what would happen if EJ hated him, even though he would deserve it if he did. Edward would probably blame me for it, and there was no knowing of what he would do about it if he did. I just wanted everything to go as smoothly as possible for all of us. Edward continued to rape me every night, but I was not too upset about it as long as EJ did not find out about it. Of course, I was upset enough.

Edward's friends were still refusing to have anything to do with me. I must have really scared them off. They normally could go a day without asking Edward if they could "borrow" me.

(Friday-December 15th)

Today, Edward, his friends, Tanya and EJ and I were going on a shopping spree in Glasgow. We were mostly buying stuff for Christmas, but we were also getting other things that we needed.

EJ was also two months old today, although he looked at if he were eight or nine years old. Edward and I were going to have a small party for him after we came home from the city. We did not tell EJ about it, though. We wanted it to be a surprise for him.

After everyone had breakfast, we climbed into the van and headed for Glasgow. EJ was very excited about it because he had never been there before.

"Is Glasgow a big city, Papa?" he asked Edward.

"Yes it is, unlike Newton Mearns, which is a small town," he replied as he turned onto the highway. The three of us were sitting in the front of the van. Tanya and his friends were in the back.

"How big?"

Edward stretched his arms out wide. "You could fit three or four Newton Mearns' in it, if not more."

"Wow! No kidding?"

"No kidding at all, son."

I glared at him. "Edward, if you don't keep your hands on that steering wheel, so help me..." I growled through clenched teeth.

He smiled sheepishly as he put his hands back on it. "I apologize, Bella. You didn't have to worry about it, though. I wouldn't have let any harm come to us."

"You'd better not."

We arrived in the city a half an hour later without any more trouble. Once Edward parked the van, we went to a nearby mall.

The first thing that Edward and I did was go to the toy and video game stores. Edward made Tanya look after EJ to keep him from knowing what we were buying his presents. His friends went off of their own.

We found all of the toys and games that EJ had on his Christmas list, so we went to a movie store. I looked for the movies that EJ had asked for, plus some that I had wanted. Edward, of course, went to find the ones that he had been waiting to see. He bought everything that we had picked out altogether, even though I kept insisting on buying the movies that I chose myself.

He had given me £700 to use for shopping. Plus, I had £600 more that I saved from another shopping trip, not to mention £3,500 on a credit card he lent to me a month ago. He did not know that I brought the card with me today, though.

"No, no! I don't mind buying them for you at all. Save your money for something important," he remarked.

"But..." I tried to argue.

He shook his head at me. I knew at that point that the discussion was over, so I just let him do what he wanted to do.

After that we went to buy clothes, then headed to the bookstore. I had read just about every book that we had at the house, and I wanted some more to keep myself occupied. Edward helped me find several for EJ that were tougher than _To Kill A Mockingbird_. Many of them were novels written by either William Shakespeare or Charles Dickens.

When we were sure that we had everything, Edward and I looked for EJ and Tanya.

They happened to be in the arcade on the first floor. EJ was shooting hoops while Tanya watched him. A great number of tickets were piled on the carpet below them.

EJ grinned at us as we approached them. "Hi Mama. Hi Papa," he declared.

"Hey," I said back, returning his smile. "Are all of those tickets yours?"

"Yep," he responded simply, attempting to mask his pride.

Tanya patted his hair. "They certainly are his tickets! EJ is spectacular at this game. He hasn't missed a basket yet!" she exclaimed.

EJ rolled his eyes in embarrassment.

"Well, it is clear why he has so many tickets then! Of course, he can never get more than I could, even if he tried his hardest," Edward boasted.

With a contradictory laugh, EJ asked in playful voice, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!" he shot back. "I challenge you to a match! Best two out of three! The loser has to give the winner half of his tickets!"

"Ohhhhh, you're on, Papa!"

EJ removed his tickets from the slot so that he could start over and handed them to me.

"Good luck, old man," he taunted as he gave Edward a token, making us laugh. He knew how old his father really was.

He smirked at him. "Old man? I'll show you!"

And the match was on. Both Tanya and I cheered for EJ as they threw basketball after basketball through their hoops. Edward pretended to feel hurt and upset about it.

"I thought that at least _one_ of you would be on my side! Traitors!" he half-yelled at us in mock anger.

I chuckled. "We would be on your side, but I, at least, think that it would be funnier if your own son showed you up."

"Oh really?"

"Really."

He shook his head at me. "You're lucky that I won't challenge _you_ next."

Before long, the match was over. EJ actually won, but only because Edward was often distracted from talking to me and Tanya.

They collected their horde of tickets. Edward gave EJ half of his in feigned reluctance, and they went to select prizes from the counter.

As we left the arcade, Tanya, EJ and I make fun of Edward mercilessly.

"You sucked, old man," I teased. "How did you lose to a kid, more specifically your own?"

"But that _is_ what you deserved for bragging. Pride comes before the fall," Tanya pointed out as she wagged her finger at him.

"It sure does," EJ added, clutching the basketball and the toy trumpet that he won.

Edward rolled his eyes at us. "Oh, be quiet. Well, we're done our shopping. Tanya, did you get anything?"

She nodded. "Yes. I went to buy some stuff at the electronics store before taking EJ to the arcade. I didn't get anything else, though. I have everything else that I need at my cottage."

"All right, good. So, what should we do now?"

We thought this over before I suggested, "Why don't we take a tour of Glasgow, show EJ the sights?"

"Oh yes, Papa! Could we, please?" EJ implored.

"Yes, we certainly can. Let me call your uncles first to see where they are. When they join us, we'll go on the tour."

His friends turned out to be in the hardware store. They met us at the front entrance and we left the mall.

The first thing we did was put our bags in the van. Then Edward took us to another part of the city where the big buildings were. As we walked around for the next hour, we looked at churches, restaurants, parks, and the SnowDome. We also found ourselves on avenues where there were a lot of small stores.

While we were in a tourist shop, EJ asked Edward if there was a chance that we could go to an airport.

"I would like to watch planes landing and taking off up close. I never have before, except on TV," he added.

Making a face, Edward told him, "I don't know if we can _today_. We were going to have lunch after a while and go home afterwards. But perhaps we can next Monday, when Mama and I come back to get something that we ordered."

EJ's shoulders slumped in disappointment.

The mention of the airport suddenly gave me an idea. It was a crazy, far-fetched one, but not a hard one to put into action if I was careful.

"Uh...I can take him there, Edward. We can go and be back in no time. We can look at the planes, and I can show him around too," I announced.

"Are you sure?" he queried with a frown. "I don't want you traveling through the city with EJ on your own."

"We'll be fine. Besides, I am capable of going there as long as I take a taxi. And you know that I am use to doing stuff on my own," I remarked.

He narrowed his eyes as he thought this over. "Well...all right. But be careful. When you leave from the airport, meet us in front a café called The 78."

I inclined my head. "Okay."

Edward went outside with me and EJ and hailed a cab for us. One came almost immediately.

"Have fun, and be careful," he warned us again as it stopped in front of us. He pecked EJ on the forehead and kissed me on the lips.

"Ugh. Spare me," EJ muttered in disgust.

"Don't worry, we will," I assured him while laughing at EJ's comment.

We climbed into the back of the taxi. Edward gave me a wad of bills and some coins for the fare. Then EJ and I said good-bye to him before I shut the door.

"So, where to, ma'am?" the driver questioned as he joined the traffic.

I cleared my throat. "Glasgow International Airport, please," I replied.

"Certainly."

The ride did not take long, only fifteen minutes. After paying the driver, I led EJ into the airport.

He chattered in excitement as we headed for a terminal. "Mama, what are we going to do first?" he asked.

"I'm taking you to a part of the building where we can see the planes. Then we can talk to a few employees about what they do at the airport. And..." An inspiration from my idea came. "...I can show you how to buy a plane ticket."

"What for? We're not getting on a plane."

I winked at him. "But if we're lucky, I could see if I can get someone to take us up on a small one for a bit."

EJ's eyes lit up. "Really, Mama? That would be so cool!"

When we arrived at a terminal, I noticed several ticket machines by a wall.

"Come here with me. I can show you how to buy a ticket from a machine right over there," I said.

We went to one that was closet to us.

"Do you want to read the instructions on the screen?" I inquired of him.

"Okay," he responded. He peered at it. "Select English, Spanish, French, Chinese, or Japanese options. Pick 'English'?"

I nodded.

He pushed the button. "Now it says to 'Choose Flight Locations'."

"Let me do that. It might be a little too tricky for you."

EJ moved aside to give me room.

Glancing at the buttons, I clicked the one that allowed me to type the location that I wanted. I quickly typed "Glasgow to Seattle." Then I tapped the "Enter" button.

What I was trying to do was buy tickets for me and EJ. I was going to run away from Glasgow to escape from Edward and take EJ with me. This was the perfect opportunity to do so. I could not wait for Edward to take us back to Forks. If I had to stay in that house with him any longer, I was going to go insane! I couldn't take being around him anymore!

Plus, EJ did not need to be raised in the environment that we lived in. It wasn't safe for him. When I finally got to Carlisle, I would tell him about all of the things that Edward and his friends had done to me since September. They were going to be in more than huge trouble once I tell him everything!

A list of times appeared on the screen. To my astonishment, there was flight that was headed for Seattle in an hour and a half-3:35pm.

"EJ?" I whispered, thinking of something else that came to mind.

"Yes, Mama?" he asked.

I turned to him and pursed my lips. "I was thinking...how about we go to back home to Forks, just for a day or two? We can surprise our family...they wouldn't know that we were coming. I know that you really want to see them."

He was greatly taken aback. "Um...I don't know," he murmured, looking uncertain. "Don't you think that we should tell Papa first? Won't we come back?"

"Of course we will come back. And we can't just leave and not tell Papa where we are going. I have his cell phone number, so I can call him and let him know," I lied. I had no intention of doing that. "If he knows that we won't be gone for long, he won't care. He will just tell us to be careful, as usual."

"Well..." EJ said slowly, mulling this over for a bit. "Well, I guess that it would be all right as long as Papa doesn't care. I do want to meet my family after all. What about clothes, though? We don't have any to bring with us."

"Alice and Jasper have plenty of clothes at Carlisle's house. They can give us some."

Frowning, he demanded not rudely, "Why can't we just ask Papa for some?"

I gestured to the screen. "Because if we choose to leave at the time on the screen, he won't have enough time to give us any."

He looked where I was pointing. "Oh. I suppose that you're right about that. All right, then, let's go! We don't want to miss the plane!" he exclaimed happily.

"No, we don't," I agreed, clicking the "3:35pm to 11:50pm, PST (USA)" time button. The price of the tickets came up. It was £619 for an adult and £499 for a child under 12 years old. Whoa. Luckily, I had enough money to buy a ticket at all, much less two. I was glad for once that Edward didn't let me spend any money.

I selected one ticket for me and another for EJ. "I'm about to pay for our tickets now, if you would like to watch," I grinned, reaching in my pocket for the credit card Edward lent me.

"Why don't I help you with that? You don't look as if you have enough money to buy them," a familiar voice declared.

I pivoted in alarm to see Edward standing behind us. The blood drained from my face.

Oh, shit. I was so fucking doomed.

"Papa!" EJ yelled. He wrapped his arms around him in a bear hug. "Mama was just about to call you!"

"Y-Yeah, I was," I mumbled, collecting myself. I forced myself to smile at him. "What are you doing here?"

He crossed his arms. "I thought that I should join you to make sure that neither of you ran into any danger," he responded in a calm, silky voice. "This way I could help you if something were to happen."

I almost gulped. He never used that voice unless he was furious. "We're okay. You really didn't need to come."

EJ tugged his hand. "Hey, Papa. Mama was going to take me to Forks with her. Would you mind if we did? Can we go?"

_No, EJ! Be quiet!_ I wanted to shout at him. I couldn't do that, though. Not without making Edward more suspicious than he already was.

Edward shook his head. "No, not today. We will when we leave Scotland the day before New Year's Eve. We will be able to pack all of our stuff before we go to Forks, then."

He stepped up to the machine and cancelled the ticket purchase. I had to keep myself from screaming "No" again.

"Come on, you two. We have to meet the others at The 78 for lunch. They will be waiting for us there," he remarked.

"But can't I see the planes?" EJ pleaded.

"You can when we go back to Forks. We don't have time to do that right now. Let's go."

Edward took both of our hands and steered us out of the airport. He hailed a taxi that was coming down the lane.

The driver turned to us after we had gotten ourselves situated. "Where would you like me you, sir?" he inquired politely.

"The 78 café, please," he responded.

"Yes, sir."

None of us spoke as we were driven to our destination. Although he didn't look it, I could tell that Edward was too angry to say anything. EJ was too disappointed to; he was sulking as he looked out of the window. I did not talk because I knew that if I said one thing, it would set Edward off. I did not want him to yell at me in front of EJ.

Tanya and his friends were standing before The 78 when the driver pulled up in front of the café. Edward paid him £50, telling him to keep the change. Then we got out of the vehicle.

"Back so soon?" Victor asked.

Edward bobbed his head. "Yes. EJ isn't too happy about it."

"Oh."

"Let's go in and eat. I know that you all must be hungry."

They nodded in agreement.

The next hour passed by in a blur. Well, it did from my point of view. I did not pay much attention to anything as I forced down my lunch. Much too soon, we were heading for the van and leaving Glasgow.

"Mama, are you okay?" EJ queried during the ride home.

"I'm fine, just tired. It has been a long day," I mumbled.

"Yeah."

Twenty minutes later, Edward parked at the hiking trail. When everybody had made their way to the cliff, Edward carried me and EJ over it. Tanya came up next, and his friends followed her using the rope. After that, we made our to the house. Tanya ghosted to her place.

"Bella," Edward said as we reached the kitchen entrance. It was the first time he had spoken to me since we left the airport. "When we get in the house, I need to have a private talk with you in our room."

I knew that I was in for it now. "Okay. Can I send EJ to Tanya's first?" I questioned. I knew that it would be wise to take him there.

He must have known it too because he said, "Yes, you can, but hurry back."

"Let's go, sweetheart," I whispered to EJ. I slid an arm across his shoulder and led him down another trail. A few minutes later, the cottage appeared. I knocked on the door.

Tanya opened it a microsecond later. "Oh, hi Bella. Is there something wrong?"

"No, but could you watch EJ for me until Edward or I come back for him? Edward has to talk to me about something in private, and we don't want EJ to be nearby while he does."

"Of course I can. I don't have a problem with looking after my bad little nephew!" she chortled, moving aside to let him in. "Come on, baby. We can play a few board games with each other until you have to leave."

EJ rolled his eyes at me in feigned annoyance before going inside.

I must have looked nervous because Tanya asked, "Are you sure that nothing is wrong, Bella?"

"Well...I don't know. I think that Edward is very upset about something. I just hope that he doesn't fly into a temper."

"I understand what you mean."

She took my hand in one of hers. Why she did that, I had no idea. Perhaps she had read between the lines of what I had told her, and figured out some of the hidden truth. But if she would find out the whole truth pretty soon.

I backed away from her. "I have to get going now. See you later. Take care of EJ."

Tanya nodded, staring at me with sudden sympathy. "I will. See you later," she returned before closing the door.

With a sigh, I reluctantly made my way back to the house. Edward's friends were in the parlor when I arrived. They did not speak to me as I went upstairs, and I didn't say anything to them.

The hallway was eerily quiet; this was definitely not a good sign. It took everything in me to walk the rest of the way to my bedroom. At the door, I gathered my wits before opening it timidly.

The first thing I saw was Edward. He was standing near the bed, his gaze centered directly on me.

I closed the door and I went to stand before him. At the same time, I made sure that I kept a safe distance from his hands.

He did not do anything at first, just stared at me. Then, before I knew what was going on, he slapped me with the back of his hand. He hit me so hard that my whole body spun at a 180 degree angle. I landed on his dresser, which had been behind me until I was slapped. His colognes toppled over and fell on the floor.

Edward yanked me up by the collar of my shirt. His gold eyes receded to black as fast as lightning. "YOU BITCH! YOU NO-GOOD, CONNIVING BITCH! How _dare_ you! How _dare_ you try to take my son away without telling me?! _Don't even think of denying it_! I know _exactly_ what you were planning to do at the airport! Even though I can't read your mind, it isn't hard for me to guess what you're think of doing! I'm not fucking stupid! Did you think that I wouldn't have found out about it?!" he bellowed.

Then he threw me onto the bed and hovered over me. "Where the hell did you get the money for two plane tickets, anyway?! I only gave you £700! One ticket costs £619, and that's only if you buy one yourself! Where did you get the money, Bella?! I hope that you didn't steal it!"

"I_ never_ had to steal shit!" I raged at him. "_You_ were the one who gave me the money in the first place! I still have the £600 you gave me last time, plus the credit card that you let me borrow! _So don't get in my face about me stealing anything!_"

"_But I only gave you that money and credit card for an emergency_! Other than for _that_ reason, you weren't suppose to spend any of it at _all_! I never told you to bring the credit card with you either!"

Staring at him coolly, I pointed out, "No, you didn't because you never mentioned the credit card at all. That does not mean that I wasn't supposed to bring it. It just gave me the option to choose whether or not I wanted to. You did give it to me. If you never wanted me to use it, you wouldn't have."

Edward's scowl deepened and become more profound. "None of that matters anymore! The only thing that does is the fact that you tried to run off with EJ with saying a damn thing to me! You can't just take my son anywhere without telling me!"

"He is my son too, Edward! I don't need your fucking permission to take him _anywhere_! What...am I your child too, all of a sudden?! I don't think so!"

"I never said that you were! But I am going to make you pay for what you did earlier _right_ _now_! Do not think for a minute that I do not know what your motive was! Trust me! _I know, bitch_!"

He began to snatch off my clothes until I was naked. I tried to stop him from doing so, but he moved too rapidly for me to grab them.

Before I could tell him to stop, Edward locked the door. After that, he rummaged in his side-table drawer and pulled out four ropes.

I attempted to get off of the bed, but he pinned me onto it. "Where do you think you're going, you pathological whore?! I am not done with you yet!" he proclaimed with another growl.

He dragged me up to where the pillows were. Then he tied my wrists together and bound them to headboard. He did the same with my ankles.

When he was sure that the ropes were on tight, he climbed off of the bed. I heard the clink of his belt buckle and a swish. I looked around in horror. I hoped that he wasn't thinking of doing what I thought he was!

Edward wound the buckled end of the belt around his hand. "You think that you can just take my son away from me without me finding out about it? You think that you can just take anything _else_ of mine away? You obviously haven't learned the lesson that I had meant to teach you in September, when you took my picture without asking me if you could have it! Well, after I am through with you, you will never have any trouble remembering it again!"

And then he swung it down onto my back.

"AHHHHHHH!" I yelled in pain.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"OUCH! EDWARD, DON'T DO THIS! PLEASE!" I begged.

He ignored me and hit me on the back three more times. My shoulders shook as I wept into the pillow underneath me.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"ARGH! EDWARD, PLEASE STOP!" If he didn't, he would eventually tear my back open!

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"OWWWW!"

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

I choked on a sob as I cried out. The fire in my back burned even brighter.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"YOU WILL NEVER..." Edward shouted at me.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"_EVER_..."

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"TRY TO TAKE EJ ANYWHERE..."

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"WITHOUT LETTING ME KNOW! EVER! _DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?_"

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"OW!" I wept.

Suddenly, someone pounded on the door and twisted the knob.

"_PAPA! PAPA, STOP HURTING MAMA RIGHT NOW! LEAVE HER ALONE!_" I heard EJ bellow.

**EJ's POV**

When Mama left to go talk to Papa, Aunt Tanya asked me if I wanted to play Chess with her.

"No," I replied. "Could we play another game instead?"

"Sure, baby. What did you have in mind?"

"I want to play _Trouble_. It's been a while since I played that."

Aunt Tanya smiled at me. "I'll go and get it."

She went over to her closet and took a box off of the shelf. When she brought it to the table, I helped her set the game up.

"What color do you want to be? I pick blue," I said.

"Then I'll be yellow. That's my favorite color."

I blinked in surprise. "Really? I didn't know that. You never told me."

This time, Aunt Tanya was amazed. "You didn't know? Look around the house. Nearly everything is yellow."

When I did, I saw that she was right. She had yellow curtains, drawers, furniture (except for the tables and chairs), etc.

"Ah. I see," I mumbled.

She laughed. "Ready to play? You can go first."

"Okay, if you say so."

Just as we had started to play, though, I was distracted by the sound of a loud SLAP that came from the direction of the house. There was a thump, and then I heard Papa scream:

"YOU BITCH! YOU NO-GOOD, CONNIVING BITCH!"

What the-? Was he talking to _Mama _like that?! He couldn't be!

I looked at Aunt Tanya. Her mouth was half-open in shock and confusion.

"How _dare_ you!" Papa continued. "How _dare_ you try to take my son away without telling me?! _Don't even think of denying it_! I know _exactly_ what you were planning to do at the airport! Even though I can't read your mind, it isn't hard for me to guess what you're think of doing! I'm not fucking stupid! Did you think that I wouldn't have found out about it?!"

Mama was planning to take me away from him? I didn't believe that; it didn't make any sense! She would never do something like that. She loved Papa, and she knew that I loved him.

There was another thud, then: "Where the hell did you get the money for two plane tickets, anyway?! I only gave you £700! One ticket costs £619, and that's only if you buy one yourself! Where did you get the money, Bella?! I hope that you didn't steal it!"

Now, above all things, Mama would never steal anything.

She even denied him. "I_ never_ had to steal shit!" (Whoa, Mama! Watch your mouth!) "_You_ were the one who gave me the money in the first place! I still have the £600 you gave me last time, plus the credit card that you let me borrow! _So don't get in my face about me stealing anything!_"

That's right, Mama! You tell him!

"_But I only gave you that money and credit card for an emergency_! Other than for _that_ reason, you weren't suppose to spend any of it at _all_! I never told you to bring the credit card with you either!"

"No, you didn't because you never mentioned the credit card at all," Mama said in a cool voice. "That does not mean that I wasn't supposed to bring it. It just gave me the option to choose whether or not I wanted to. You did give it to me. If you never wanted me to use it, you wouldn't have."

Papa was quiet before he yelled: "None of that matters anymore! The only thing that does is the fact that you tried to run off with EJ with saying a damn thing to me! You can't just take my son anywhere without telling me!"

"He is my son too, Edward! I don't need your fucking permission to take him _anywhere_! What...am I your child too, all of a sudden?! I don't think so!"

"I never said that you were! But I am going to make you pay for what you did earlier _right_ _now_! Do not think for a minute that I do not know what your motive was! Trust me! _I know, bitch_!"

I hated it when Papa called her that! I wished that he wouldn't!

The next thing I heard was the sounds of struggling and rustling.

Seconds later, Papa growled, "Where do you think you're going, you pathological whore?! I am not done with you yet!"

There was more rustling after he said this, then a clink-clink sound and a swish.

"You think that you can just take my son away from me without me finding out about it? You think that you can just take anything _else_ of mine away? You obviously haven't learned the lesson that I had meant to teach you in September, when you took my picture without asking me if you could have it! Well, after I am through with you, you will never have any trouble remembering it again!" Papa announced.

"WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!" I demanded in disbelief.

Before my question could be answered, there was a loud CRACK!

"AHHHHHHH!" Mama screamed suddenly.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"OUCH! EDWARD, DON'T DO THIS! PLEASE!" she cried.

"_No!_" I yelled, realizing what was going on. Aunt Tanya looked as horrified as I felt.

Papa was hurting Mama! He _promised_ me that he would never do that again! He _promised_!

I hated my father! I hated him with everything that was inside me! I couldn't believe that he went back on his promise! How could he do this to Mama?! She did nothing to deserve any of the pain that she was going through right now! Nothing!

I jumped out of my chair and ran for door. I had to go and try to make Papa stop hurting Mama!

Aunt Tanya stopped me. "Edward Jacob, _no_! Don't go over to the house! Your mama wouldn't want to you be there right now!" she said, holding onto me.

"I don't care! Let me GO!" I bellowed as I struggled against her.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

This time, Mama started to cry. I thrashed around in Aunt Tanya's arms some more, but she still wouldn't get off of me.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"ARGH! EDWARD, PLEASE STOP!"

Tears began to run down my face. "Aunt Tanya, please. Please let me go," I wept.

"No, EJ. You have to stay here...!"

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"OWWWW!" Mama shouted.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

There was a sob.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I hated to hear Mama scream and cry in pain.

Knowing that I would regret it later, I bit Aunt Tanya's hand hard. I did not want to hurt her, but I was desperate.

She let me go with a yelp, and I practically flew out of the door.

"_Edward Jacob Cullen, come back here this instant!_" Aunt Tanya called to me. I ignored her as I ran to the house.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"YOU WILL NEVER..." Papa roared.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"_EVER_..."

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"TRY TO TAKE EJ ANYWHERE..."

I threw open the parlor door and headed up the stairs. One of my uncles said something to me, but I didn't hear him.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"WITHOUT LETTING ME KNOW! EVER! _DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?_"

I rushed down the hall.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"OW!" Mama hollered.

Finally, I was standing in front of her and Papa's bedroom. I banged on the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. "_PAPA! PAPA, STOP HURTING MAMA RIGHT NOW! LEAVE HER ALONE!_" I yelled.

**Bella's POV**

It was as if I had traveled back through time. This day was almost just like the one a month ago today, when EJ had saw Edward beating and raping me. The only difference was that today, I was not being raped. At least, I prayed that I wouldn't be.

Knowing that Edward was too deep in his rage to pay attention to our son, as he had been on that day, my only plan was to make EJ leave immediately.

"EJ, go back to Aunt Tanya's house and stay there!" I called to him through tears.

"But Mama...!" he protested from the other side of the door.

"_Now_, Edward Jacob! Do what I tell you to do!" I interrupted.

CRACK! CRACK!

I winced as the belt landed near my shoulder blades. "_Edward, STOP! EJ is right outside of the door! Don't do this to me with him nearby! Please!_" I cried to him in desperation.

"Yes, Papa, please don't! Please stop hurting Mama!" EJ added as he continued to hammer on the door.

"Edward Jacob, I told you to leave!"

Edward did not listen to us. By the look of his eyes, I could tell that he was too far gone now. Nothing would be able to stop him.

Just as I had come to this conclusion, however, he actually tossed the belt aside. I slumped onto the bed in relief as he untied my ankles from the foot-board. But my relief quickly turned to horror seconds later.

Edward turned me around and spread my legs open. He bound each ankle to separate bars of the foot-board again.

After that, he straightened up to undo his pants. "Don't think that I am done with you yet. I am going to make sure that you won't forget the lesson that you have learned for a long time to come," he murmured.

Once his jeans were discarded, he put a condom on. Then he hovered over me.

"Edward, no! Please don't do it!" I implored.

"SHUT UP!" he yelled in my face.

He drove his cock into me so roughly that it hurt. The pain was so terrible that I could not do anything but scream. Edward clamped his hand over my mouth as he began to pound into me. Every thrust caused a shot of pain to rip through me. I wept in agony as he moaned in pleasure above me.

From outside of the room came a gasp, followed by more knocking on the door.

"PAPA, NO! STOP IT! GET OFF OF MAMA!"

Oh, no! EJ was still out there! And even worse, he knew what was happening! I tried to remove Edward's hand from my mouth and tell him to go to Tanya's cottage, but it wouldn't budge.

Could this day get any more horrific?

**EJ's POV**

When the CRACKING had stopped, I thought that Papa would leave Mama alone, but I was wrong.

I heard the sound of pants being unzipped before he said, "Don't think that I am done with you yet. I am going to make sure that you won't forget the lesson that you have learned for a long time to come."

Uh oh! He was going to hurt Mama _again_! Why couldn't he just stop doing that? Why?

There was rustling and creaking before I heard Mama whimper, "Edward, no! Please don't do it!"

"SHUT UP!" Papa bellowed at her.

And then Mama shouted loudly. There was so much pain in her scream that I actually felt it in my heart.

Oh, no! _What was Papa doing to her now_?!

I looked through the keyhole. I saw him bouncing on Mama and covering her mouth. He grunted over and over again while she cried and...

I gasped. Oh God, no! NO!

Papa was raping Mama again!

I pounded on the door with both hands, feeling nauseous. I couldn't let him do this! I had to distract him and make him stop! "PAPA, NO! STOP IT! GET OFF OF MAMA!" I screamed.

He kept grunting. I peeked into the keyhole and saw that he was still bouncing on Mama. I pleaded for him to stop again, but he wouldn't.

So I kept knocking on the door, begging Papa to leave her alone in between times. For how long I did this, I had no idea.

I was too focused on what I was doing to notice how much time was passing.

**Bella's POV**

Every time EJ pleaded for Edward to stop hurting me, I sobbed in despair. The fact that Edward was ignoring our own son, and that EJ was witnessing this situation yet again, broke my heart.

And I hated that EJ knew what was going on. I hated knowing that he felt powerless to make it stop and end my suffering, when he wished that he could. I prayed that Edward would stop raping me soon. I did not know how much longer I could deal with him.

Finally, after a long time, he did. He untied me from the bed, then put both of our clothes back on. I curled into a ball and wept stormily.

"Hmm. It is apparent that you have finally learned your lesson," Edward remarked, looking satisfied with himself. "Do not make me have to give you a repeat of it, or else you will be sorry. Understand?"

I gave no response, only cried harder.

"PAPA! OPEN THE DOOR! I. WANT. IN! LET ME IN!" EJ was shouting.

Edward walked over to the door and opened it.

EJ must have leaning against it because he tumbled face-forward into the room. When Edward tried to help him up, he slapped his hand away.

"NO! DON'T TOUCH ME! I HATE YOU, I _HATE_ YOU!" he bellowed in rage. "_You promised me that you would never hurt Mama again, and you **lied** to me!_ I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS! _N__EVER_!"

It was clear that Edward didn't know what to say to this because he just gaped at him for a moment. Then he left the room and slammed the door.

EJ turned to me. "Mama? Mama, how badly are you hurt?" he queried frantically as he climbed onto the bed next to me.

I tried to move away from him. "Baby, please go away right now. I don't want you to see me like this," I sobbed, burying my face in my arms.

Much to my astonishment, he lifted me up slightly and placed my head on his chest. "No, Mama. I won't leave you. I can't. I am going to stay here and make you feel better, just like you do for me when I am upset about something."

I could not help but feel touched by this. I wrapped an arm around him. "Thank you, baby. I'm glad that you chose to be here for me. And I'm so sorry about earlier. I feel as if it's my fault that your papa broke his promise," I croaked with a sniff.

"Mama, you don't have to apologize. What Papa did to you will _never_ be _your_ fault. It's his fault because...because he raped you. And like I told you before, I will always try to be here for you if you need me," he murmured, rocking me back and forth while stroking my hair. "I know that you are upset about what Papa did, but everything will get better soon, especially after we go home. Just you wait and see."

Sniffing once more, I whispered, "I hope so, EJ. I truly hope so."

((A/N: **PLEASE REVIEW**, and no flames please. Whew, this chapter is a lot longer than I thought it would be!

Well, I have _finally_ gotten these chapters out of the way! The next chapter is the one-yes, you've guessed it!-in which Bella gets in contact with Carlisle. It will be titled: FINALLY! A Distress Signal!

The chapter after _that_ will be the one in which Carlisle, the Cullens, the Denalis (except Kate), and several other people who I won't mention (No, Jasper's friend Peter will _not_ be involved. _Sorry, bamagal110 :( _) will rescue Bella and destroy Edward and his friends once and for all! **Are we ready for those chapters, folks?**))


	20. FINALLY! A Distress Signal!

(A/N: And now, the first of two chapters that you have all been waiting for!)

**Bella's POV**

EJ held me in his arms until I had stopped crying. He embraced me one last time, and I hugged him back tightly.

"Are you feeling better now, Mama?" he queried.

I swept away the remainder of my tears. "Kind of, baby. I'm still in a great amount of pain, though," I replied in a weak, hoarse voice.

He frowned in worry and concern. "Where? Where, Mama?" he demanded urgently.

"My...my back," I allowed myself to admit. My pussy was hurting too, but I would never tell him something like that.

"Your back? What happened? Did Papa hurt it?"

I inclined my head in reluctance. "Yes."

"What did he do to it?"

Biting my lip, I hesitated, unsure if it was a wise idea to answer his question.

On one hand, it wouldn't matter if I did. I could not lie about anything that Edward did to me anymore. It would be difficult (and not to mention pointless) to hide anything from him now. It was no longer a secret...just like it was no secret to him what rape was. Still, I knew he would feel even more upset about what Edward did if I told him.

Which option should I choose?

EJ noticed how indecisive I was and laid his hand on mine. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But you know that you can if you do. It won't be as if I wouldn't know what you are talking about," he pointed out.

I sighed morosely. "Unfortunately, you are right about that," I whispered. After thinking over what he said, I figured that I might as well tell him. There was nothing for me to lose by doing so. I wanted to lie, as usual, but I did not have the strength to anymore. I was tired of doing that all of the time. Tired of keeping secrets. Tired of bottling everything up.

"Okay, I will, but only on two conditions," I finally said.

"Sure. What are they?" EJ questioned.

I eyed him sternly. "First, I never want you to mention what I am about to tell you to anyone. Second, when I do tell you about what your father did, please don't fly off the handle. Understood?"

"Yes, Mama. I understand."

Taking a deep breath, I ran my fingers through my hair. "He practically whipped me on the back using his belt. I'm lucky that he didn't tear my back open, or that it isn't bleeding."

He gasped. "_W-What?!_" he demanded in horrified shock and outrage. "Papa whipped you with his belt?!"

I shot him a warning look. "Edward Jacob, what did I just tell you?"

"Oh. I am sorry, Mama. But he whipped you? Is that what all that cracking noise was? When the belt hit your back, I mean?" he asked, lowering his voice.

"Yes," I murmured.

EJ trembled with fury. "I hate him. I hate him for what he did to you Mama. I can't believe that he would hurt you like that! First, he _whipped_ you, and then he _raped_ you?! It was wrong of him to do that, no matter how angry he was at you! He should be thrown in prison!"

I nodded. "That is true, but even if he was taken to prison, it wouldn't do any good. Like I told you before, he can easily escape, being a vampire."

He slumped in resignation. "Yeah, you're right. That really sucks."

"Yes, EJ, it does," I agreed with a sigh.

For a moment, we sat in silence. Then EJ queried, "Mama? Do you hate Papa too for what he did?"

At first, I did not know if I should give him the truthful answer to this question either. However, as I mentioned before, I was sick of lying.

"Yeah, I do. And I know that I will never forgive him for hurting me. I don't care if he didn't mean to, or if he apologizes for it later. Not anymore," I replied, my lips curling in rage at the mere thought of it all.

"Me neither," he grumbled. Then he jumped off of the bed. "I'll be back soon. I need to go back to Aunt Tanya's house for a bit."

"What for?"

EJ abruptly looked ashamed about something. "Um...well...When Papa had started to whip you with the belt, um...I tried to leave the cottage, but Aunt Tanya wouldn't let me. She held onto me to keep me from coming here, but when she wouldn't let me go, I, um...I bit her hand to get her off of me. I was going to go apologize to her," he stammered.

My jaw dropped in disbelief. "Edward Jacob Cullen! I ought to give you a good spanking! Tanya is your aunt. You don't do something like that to her..._ever_. She tried to stop you from coming here because I told her to watch you until I came back. She also did it because she knew that your papa and I did not want you to be here!" I scolded.

"But Mama, he was hurting you! I came here so that I could stop him, and to keep him from hurting you more! It didn't work, but I wanted to try to stop him at the very least. I had to! You know that I don't like it when you are hurting. I didn't mean to hurt Aunt Tanya, and I didn't want to either. But I wouldn't have been able to bear it if I didn't try to help you, so I did. I'm sorry if I made you angry, Mama. I'm really sorry that I bit Aunt Tanya too. Could you ever forgive me? Do you think Aunt Tanya will too?"

I could not help but embrace EJ tightly. How could I stay upset with him when all he did was care about me, and try to protect me from his insane, abusive father? There was no chance in hell that I could.

"Of course I forgive you, baby. I know that you would never mean Aunt Tanya any harm. Still, what you did was wrong, and I never want you to bite her, or hurt her in any other way, ever again. Do you hear me, Edward Jacob?" I inquired.

"Yes, Mama."

With a loving smile, I patted his hair. "Come on. I'll take you down to Aunt Tanya house so that you can give her your apology."

He nodded. "Okay."

After going to the bathroom to straighten myself up, EJ and I headed to the cottage. We did not see Edward anywhere, but I doubt that we would have spoken to him if we had.

We reached the cottage minutes later, and was about to knock on the door, when Tanya suddenly opened it. She looked frantic with worry. Before I could say anything to her, she lunged forward and hugged me.

"Oh my God, Bella, are you all right?!" she cried.

I rubbed her back. "Yes. I'm feeling a little bit better now," I assured her.

Tanya let me go and pulled EJ into her. "What about you, sweetie? I know that you were frightened and upset about what happened earlier," she said to him.

He inclined his head. "I was. But I'm okay now, I guess," he mumbled, wrapping his arms around her.

She sniffed as she turned back to me. "I'm so, so sorry that I didn't help you, Bella. I wanted to...honestly, I did. But as furious as Edward was, he would have came after me too. I didn't want to happen because I knew that it would have made you and EJ feel worse. EJ especially...because I know that he wouldn't want Edward come after me too. Plus, I was scared that he would hurt me. Please forgive me for not doing anything," she implored, tears running down her cheeks.

EJ and I hugged her at the same time.

"Don't cry, Aunt Tanya. What Papa did to Mama wasn't your fault. I forgive you," he remarked soothingly.

"I forgive you too," I added, knowing that she meant every word that she said. "I can't blame you for feeling scared. I was too, after all, much more than you were."

After we ended the embrace, I gave her the real reason why we were there.

"Your nephew has something to tell you," I declared.

Tanya scowled. "What?" she questioned.

I glanced at EJ. He nodded and stood before her.

"Aunt Tanya, I apologize for biting your hand earlier. I did not mean to hurt you or anything, but I really wanted to help Mama. I couldn't stand Papa hurting her," he explained.

"Oh, EJ," she groaned, kneeling down in front of him. "I understand exactly how you felt. I don't blame you for feeling that way either. I forgive you."

"Thank you, Auntie," he whispered.

"No problem, sweetheart."

They gave each other a hug and a kiss. We talked for a brief moment, then EJ and I went back to the house.

Edward still had not returned, but I hardly took notice of this. I had a nice, long hot shower before going downstairs to fix dinner for me and EJ. I prepared his favorite meal: rare steak, mashed potatoes, and spinach.

When I was done cooking, I gave him his food. "Here. Eat that," I mumbled.

He sliced off a piece of his steak and tasted it. "This is good, Mama."

I grinned wanly. "Thank you, baby."

We ate our meal in nearly total silence. Neither of us had much to say. After putting our dishes in the dishwasher, EJ and I went to our bedrooms.

I was just staring at the dark ceiling when Edward came in the room some time after eight o'clock. He did not look upset any longer, only remorseful and apologetic.

Knowing instantly what was about to happen, I threw up my hands as he approached me. "_Stop_. Don't you _dare_ come near me!" I growled. I stood up, but kept my distance from him. "I can't believe that you beat and raped me in front of our son again! Do you have _any_ idea of or _care_ about how upset EJ was to see you hurting me?! How upset he still _is_?! _How could you break your promise to him_?! You really _are_ a cruel, selfish, unfeeling monster because if you weren't, you would never have done that! And how could you do that to _me_ if you love me so much? To EJ if you love him? I hate you, and I will _never_ forgive you for what you did!" I raged at him.

Then I held out my hand before he could speak. "Give me the lesson plans that you made for EJ _right now_. I will be home-schooling him from here on out. I think that it would be best if EJ stays away from you. In fact, he doesn't even _want_ to have anything to do with you. Not after what happened earlier," I added.

"Bella, no!" Edward cried in despair, reaching out to grab my arm. "Please don't do that. Please don't keep my son away from me. I honestly am sorry for hurting you, and for breaking my promise. I swear I did not mean to do it. I _had_ tried to keep my temper in check, but I was so angry that I couldn't-"

"_Don't touch__ me,_ and don't give me any of those useless apologies or excuses! I don't want to hear them...I've heard them before. Give me the lesson plans, Edward! I will not ask for them again."

"Bella, please...!" he began.

"NO! GIVE THEM TO ME, NOW!" I shouted.

He realized that I meant business this time. With tears in his eyes, he took the lesson plans from his desk and handed them to me. When he gazed at me pleadingly, I shook my head.

"I don't want to hear it, I said. Oh...and I won't be sleeping in here for a while. I don't want to have anything to do with you either. You are to stay away from me. And you will not talk to me unless it is necessary for you to. You had better understand that because if you don't, and you decide to bother me, I _will_ make meaning clear. I don't know how I will do that yet, but I will found out. Trust me."

Edward nodded mutely and bowed his head. I left the room after grabbing a week's worth of clothes, undergarments, my toiletries, my nightgown, and my pictures. I took them to the spare bedroom that was next to EJ's and put them in the dresser. I put the lesson plans and photos in the side-table drawer.

After that, I laid down on the bed. I was completely exhausted. The day had been so long and painful that I just needed to rest and attempt to forget it. However, I knew that that would never happen. I would remember it as long as I lived or existed.

**EJ's POV**

I was playing _Sonic Mega Collection Plus_ on my Playstation 2 when I heard Papa walk in the house. He came upstairs and went to his and Mama's bedroom.

For a second, I wondered if he was still angry, or if he was going to hurt Mama again. But before I could go to see if he was, Mama started to talk to him.

"_Stop_. Don't you _dare_ come near me! I can't believe that you beat and raped me in front of our son again! Do you have _any_ idea of or _care_ about how upset EJ was to see you hurting me?! How upset he still _is_?! _How could you break your promise to him_?! You really _are_ a cruel, selfish, unfeeling monster because if you weren't, you would never have done that! And how could you do that to _me_ if you love me so much? To EJ if you love him? I hate you, and I will _never_ forgive you for what you did!" she yelled.

"Give me the lesson plans that you made for EJ _right now_. I will be home-schooling him from here on out. I think that it would be best if EJ stays away from you. In fact, he doesn't even _want_ to have anything to do with you. Not after what happened earlier," Mama told him next.

"Bella, no! Please don't do that. Please don't keep my son away from me," Papa begged. "I honestly am sorry for hurting you, and for breaking my promise. I swear I did not mean to do it. I _had_ tried to keep my temper in check, but I was so angry that I couldn't-"

"_Don't touch_ _me_, and don't give me any of those useless apologies or excuses! I don't want to hear them...I've heard them before. Give me the lesson plans, Edward! I will not ask for them again."

"Bella, please...!"

"NO! GIVE THEM TO ME, NOW!"

I heard Papa go and get them. He must have wanted to say sorry again because Mama said:

"I don't want to hear it, I said. Oh...and I won't be sleeping in here for a while. I don't want to have anything to do with you either. You are to stay away from me. And you will not talk to me unless it is necessary for you to. You had better understand that because if you don't, and you decide to bother me, I _will_ make meaning clear. I don't know how I will do that yet, but I will found out. Trust me."

There was silence before I heard her open a few drawers. Then she slammed them close, and I heard her go into the room next to mine.

I was very proud of Mama for standing up to Papa. I was glad that she did not accept his apology either. He did not deserve to be forgiven.

I listened to see if Papa would try to talk to her, or become furious and try to hurt her again. He didn't, just stayed in his room.

For a while, it was mostly quiet in the house. The only thing that made noise was my video game and the TV downstairs.

I was just about to finish the casino zone on my game when there was a knock on my door. I looked around to see Papa open it.

His eyes were red from crying, but I did not care. I still hated him, and I was still angry about what he did to Mama. I turned away from him with a scowl.

"EJ, can I talk to you please?" Papa asked in a soft voice.

I did not answer him, just stared at my TV. I didn't want to speak to him at all. I had nothing to say to him!

He came in anyway and sat on the bed next to me with a sigh. "EJ, I know that you are upset with me for not keeping my promise, and I don't blame you for feeling that way. You have every right in the world to," he mumbled after a second, laying a hand on my arm.

I jerked away from him. _Don't touch me, Papa. Just **don't**,_ I thought to him in rage.

Papa looked at me sadly for a moment, then continued on. "As I said, I know you are upset with me for hurting Mama. But I want you to know that I am truly sorry for doing that, and for breaking my promise. I hope that you will forgive me in time...I know that you probably can't right now. Still, I hope that you will be able to one day."

I did not comment on that, or even look at him.

"EJ, please...please say something. Please look at me."

_No! I don't have anything to say to you! **I hate you!** And I will **never** forgive you for what you did to Mama! You hurt her so badly! Just stay away from me, like Mama wants you to. I never want to speak or think to you again! I will if I have to, but other than that, I won't. Ever. _

"Son, please!" he wept, sinking to the floor on his knees. Tears ran down his cheeks as he took my arm again. "I'm sorry, _so_ sorry! Please forgive me! I'll do anything for you if you do. Anything. But please, please forgive me. Please."

I glared at him in contempt. _No. **Fuck you**, Papa. And I don't mean to be rude, but get out! Leave my room, and don't come back! _

Papa's eyes widened, and his mouth fell to the floor. I could not believe that I had cursed at him myself. "Son...son, please..."

"GO AWAY!" I bellowed at him.

There was a rush of footsteps, and then Mama threw open the door. She frowned at Papa. "Get out of here, Edward! Get away from my son now! Right now!" she ordered through clenched teeth.

He looked at her for a moment, then at me before standing up. Mama crossed her arms and glared at him as he left the room. I was surprised that he did not tell her that I cursed at him.

When he closed the door, she turned to me. "Are you all right, EJ? Did he hurt you, or try to hurt you?" she asked, looking worried and irritated.

"No, Mama. I'm fine," I replied quietly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

She nodded before coming over to embrace me. "Good. I love you, baby."

I hugged her back. "I love you too, Mama. So much."

When she moved away, she smiled at me for the first time in hours. "At nine o'clock, I want you to turn off your game and go straight to bed, all right?"

"Yes," I said, rolling my eyes with a grin.

Mama chuckled, and after rubbing my hair, she left the room.

**Bella's POV**

During Saturday and half of the following week, EJ and I kept away from Edward. In turn, he avoided us.

He did not join us or his friends at mealtimes. In fact, the only time I saw him was when he would ask me to forgive him, and to beg me to let him talk to our son. I refused to do either. Besides, EJ had no intention of speaking to him anyway. Other than that, he did not bother us at all.

We hardly saw his friends too. If EJ and I wanted to see something on TV, or watch a movie, we would go to his room. I continued to sleep in the bedroom next to his and used the bathroom that was connected to it.

I home-schooled him in the mornings and the afternoons. We covered every subject: spelling, reading and grammar, math, science, history and geography. I was even teaching him Spanish and French. After his lessons, we would spend time with each other and come up with fun things to do.

EJ knew that I was still angry and hurt because of what Edward did. He would try to comfort me and make me feel better. To my surprise, he managed to more often not. I found myself laughing quite a bit at some of the goofy things he did. Such as putting chopsticks in his nose and crossing his eyes at the same time. Or making up silly songs. Or pronouncing French or Spanish words incorrectly on purpose. Or telling jokes that were actually pretty funny, and not corny like the jokes kids would normally tell.

Sometimes, he would just smiled at me, and I could not help but smile back. His grin was so cheerful, hopeful, and encouraging. And at random moments, he gave me a kiss and a hug. Or told me that he loved me.

When I was alone, I often stayed in my bedroom. I did not do much except for read, arrange EJ's lesson plans, or look at pictures of Carlisle and the others.

EJ caught me staring at a photo of Carlisle once, and the way I was gazing at it made him understandably curious.

"Mama, why are you looking at Carlisle's picture like that?" he inquired.

I reluctantly put it back on the side-table drawer as if I was merely just looking at it to look at it. "I didn't notice that I was looking at it in any particular way. I guess it's just because I miss him, and our family," I responded.

He could obviously tell that there was more to this than I would let on. But he just said "Oh" and left the room.

**EJ's POV**

It was weird to see Mama looking at Carlisle's picture the way she was. She was staring at him as if...as if she loved him. And not with the type of love that someone felt for their family. It was the type that she would feel for Papa, if he hadn't hurt her.

Was Mama in love with Carlisle? Or was that just how it looked to me and that I was seeing things?

I shrugged to myself. I would have no way of knowing if she did, unless I had proof. So I just settled on maybe.

Maybe she was in love with him...and maybe she wasn't.

**Bella's POV**

All and all, EJ and I practically lived separate lives from Edward and his friends. We kept to ourselves for the most part. It was a peaceful time. No arguments, not too much suffering, no tears. EJ and I tried to be as happy as possible for each other's sakes.

Then, early on Thursday evening, something miraculous happened by chance. And it was something that would eventually change the course of our lives. Not just mine and EJ's, but Edward's and his friends' as well.

(_Thursday evening-December 21st_)

I was eating dinner in the kitchen with EJ and Edward's friends. Edward was there too, but I did not speak to him. Neither did EJ. In fact, he took his plate and moved to the other side of the table. I had to keep myself from laughing at his daring.

Edward's friends talked amongst themselves. EJ and I were quiet unless we had something to tell each other. Edward did not speak at all. He just stared morosely at his empty plate. He had told Victor not to give him any food. Not that he need it anyway.

Within a half an hour, everybody was finished with their meal. Edward stood up and began to collect the dishes. Victor accidentally knocked over his cup and spilled his juice on the floor when he gave him his plate. He grumbled to himself as he went to get a dishcloth to clean up his mess.

EJ went upstairs to his room as Brad, Daniel and Jerry headed for the parlor. I stayed behind, wondering if I should help Victor or not.

I had just decided that I wouldn't-seriously, why should I?-when I saw that his cell phone was sticking out of his jacket pocket.

Suddenly, I had an urge to grab it. If I was careful, I would be able to do it without him noticing. And if I did...I would be able to get in contact with Carlisle, and tell him where I was! He would come to rescue me and EJ then! Edward would know nothing about it until it was too late because he can't read my mind! My heart soared at the thought of it.

Without turning my head, I looked to see what Edward was doing. He was putting the dishes in the dishwasher very slowly for a vampire. His attention was completely focused on that. This was a perfect chance to put my plan into action.

Keeping an eye on him, I quickly eased Victor's cell phone out of his pocket and into my own. Thankfully, Edward did not turn around and see me. Otherwise, I knew that there would have been trouble.

I got up and went upstairs to my new room. Once I had locked the door, I sat down on the bed and took out the phone. Then I turned down the volume to "Silence All" I looked for the text messaging section.

When I found it, I typed in Carlisle's number. I hoped that he still had the same phone! It would be pointless and discouraging if he didn't. I listened to make sure that nobody was around and hastily sent a text message.

_Carlisle, are you there? It's Bella-B_

A few minutes passed (it felt like an hour did because I was so nervous), and then there was a reply.

_Isabella? Baby, is that you?-C_

I struggled to prevent tears of joy from escaping my eyes. It _was_ him! I sent back a cryptic response so that he would know that it was me.

_Yes, it's me. **C'est ta Belle**-B_

**Carlisle's POV**

_11:05pm in Forks_

I was in my office, but this time, I was not alone. My children and cousins, including Kate, were here. They had returned from South America the day before. But they still had not found Isabella. They did not locate her in Hawaii, Central America, or the Caribbean Islands either.

None of us were doing anything. My children were standing around the room, fraught with disappointment. My cousins looked just as gloomy as they did. I was sitting behind my desk with my head in my hand. I could not believe that there was still no trace of Isabella after three long months.

Ever since the day that Charlie had found out that Kate and I were vampires, I began to suffer more than ever. So did they. Renée and Phil were out of their minds with worry. Jacob and his friends were too. He called every day to see if there was any news.

I had not hunted since after Thanksgiving, so I was horribly weakened by now. My throat constantly ached with thirst, but I hardly noticed it anymore. My eyes looked as if they would permanently stay black. Purplish-black bruises were imprinted underneath them.

I was not certain of how long my children, cousins, and I remained in our positions. Time was only important when I thought of how much of it had passed since Isabella had been kidnapped. But the next thing I knew, my phone rang with a text message, shattering the silence that pounded on my eardrums. It was likely from Charlie or Jacob.

Rubbing my face wearily, I sat up a little straighter and peered at my phone's screen.

_Carlisle, are you there? It's Bella-B_

For a moment, I just stared at the message. I had to blink to make sure that it was real. Amazement and disbelief coursed through me so strongly that I could not move a muscle. When I was finally able to, I sent a wildly hopeful reply.

_Isabella? Baby, is that you?-C_

Seconds later, another message popped up.

_Yes, it's me. **C'est ta Belle**-B_

I bolted up from my chair. It _was_ my Isabella! She had finally managed to find some way to reach me!

Rosalie pivoted in alarm. "Carlisle, what is it?" she demanded.

"Isabella...she has just sent me two text messages!" I announced.

My children and the Denalis gaped at me with wide eyes.

"Oh, my God! Really? Whose number did she send it from?" Alice inquired in excitement.

"I don't know. It is not one that I know. See for yourself."

One by one, everybody had a turn in reading them. Alice and Rosalie hugged each other, jumping up and down. Emmett and Jasper whooped. The Denalis chattered happily.

"Charlie will be so glad that you have heard from her," Kate remarked.

I nodded. "Jasper, may I have my phone back, please? I need to ask Isabella where she is."

He handed it to me and I sent another text message.

_Where are you? Did Edward kidnap you and take you somewhere? We realized that he must have when Alice could not see you or him-C_

A response came back within a minute.

_Yes, that asshole kidnapped me! He brought me all the way to Newton Mearns, which is a small town in Scotland-B_

My jaw dropped in disbelief. Edward took her to Scotland?! It was no wonder that my children and the Denalis couldn't find her! She was all the way around the world!

"Dad? Where is she?" Emmett queried.

"Newton Mearns, Scotland," I whispered.

The others could only stare at me, but I ignored them. I was busy typing another message.

_Isabella, are you getting hurt? Are you all right? Tell me the truth, please-C_

_No, Carlisle. I am not okay. I am not okay at all-B_

My heart sank as soon as I had read those words.

**Bella's POV**

It was almost difficult to send that particular message. However, I was not going to lie about the situation I was in, especially when I needed help to get out of it.

A reply to my message appeared, jerking me out of my thoughts.

_What is wrong, Isabella? Is Edward mistreating you or hurting you?-C_

I sniffed before answering him.

_He isn't at the moment, but he has done both ever since he brought me here. I need you to HELP ME! I can't take it anymore!-B_

_Sweetheart, don't worry. Now that I know where you are, I am coming to get you along with the others. What has Edward done to you exactly?-C_

Not knowing how to tell him without bursting into tears, I gulped. How could I explain everything to him?

_Do it for EJ,_ a voice in my head whispered.

I shut my eyes and prayed for strength and courage. I prayed for the will not to cry and to hold myself together.

Then, after taking a deep breath, I told Carlisle everything. Luckily, I did so without crying at all. I told him about the first time Edward had me kidnapped before raping me. About his threat to hurt him and have me gang-raped if I spoke to him (Carlisle) again. What had happened after I had sent those text messages to him so long ago. The second kidnapping and being gang-raped by Edward and his friends as he said he would do. About the trip here to Newton Mearns. About everything Edward and his friends did to me, and forced me to do, ever since September. About EJ, how he was conceived by Edward and I, and everything else about him. How EJ found out what rape was, and all of the things that he saw Edward do to me. About my getting revenge on Edward's friends, and about what happened the previous Friday. Plus, I gave him a brief summary about everything else that happened in between all of this.

Even though I was unable to see Carlisle, I knew that he was beyond furious. He was also astounded about how EJ was born. He had never heard of vampire-human hybrids in his entire existence.

When I had finished with my story, he sent a message.

_Isabella, we will be leaving to get you shortly. You will NOT spend another twenty-four hours there. Trust me on that. May I have the directions to the house, please?-C_

I gave them to him quickly.

_Thank you. I am coming for you and EJ. I just need to hunt, and then I will be on my way. I will bring my children and my Denali cousins. If I am able to, I will let Jacob and his friends come too. He will want to help, and his friends may want to also. Luckily, my cousins had bought a private plane in September. It can accommodate all of us-C_

_Okay. How are Charlie, Mom, and Phil doing?-B_

_Not good at all. They have been frantic looking all over for you just like my children and cousins were. I stayed in Forks to help Charlie in the search, and to look after him. I am surprise that neither he nor your mother and Phil have had a heart attack by this time-C  
_

_So am I. I'm glad that they are okay in some degree. Thank you so much for coming to get me! They will be glad that you heard from me-B_

_You're welcome, baby, I know that they will. Just hang on for me. Try to act casual as if you are not expecting us. Put Victor's phone back before he realizes that it's gone-C_

_Don't worry, I will-B_

_Excellent. I will see you soon, Isabella. I love you-C_

_I love you too, Carlisle. Hurry!-B_

_You know that I will-C_

_Bye-B_

_Good-bye. This is the last message, so the conversation now-C_

_Okay-B_

I hastily deleted all of our text messages. Once I had, I crept into Victor's room and put his phone on the side-table drawer. Then I returned to my bedroom, trying to contain my wild happiness.

Finally, at long last, Carlisle was going to take me and EJ away from this place! And I knew without a doubt that we would never come back here again!

**Carlisle's POV**

The office was in an uproar. When Isabella had told me about everything that Edward and his friends put her through, everyone had gone crazy with fury and/or despair.

The women were all sobbing. Rosalie was crying so hard that she was hunched over her knees. Jasper was trying to hold back his own tears as he embraced Alice. Emmett had punched several holes in the wall and broke the windows. Eleazar had destroyed my computer. I myself had reduced my desk into fine powder. My rage billowed out of me in stormy sobs.

How could Edward and his friends hurt my Isabella the way that they have? How could they? She did not deserve the pain that they had been forcing her to go through. No one did. _They were dead! I was going to **murder** those sons of bitches for what they have done to my soul mate!_

To make matters even more difficult, she had a child by Edward, which surprised me to no end. I could not understand how it was possible for a vampire to produce offspring, but I would have to investigate that at a later time. What was important was that I took Isabella and EJ out of Edward's clutches immediately. Her son could not be raised in that environment. It was terrible enough that EJ knew what rape was, not to mention abuse. No wonder Isabella feared for his safety. What if something happened to him next?

It was a long time before I could settle down. When I finally had, I wiped away my tears before addressing the others.

"I am going for a hunt. If any of you want to join me, you may. After that, I will contact Charlie. I will also call Jacob and see if he and the pack would desire to go to Scotland with us," I declared.

"You know that he will. Bella is his best friend," Alice pointed out.

"Do you want me to call Charlie for you? I won't mention what happened to Bella, just that she sent you text messages to tell you where she is. If I told him about what Edward did to her, it would kill him before she even gets home," Kate remarked.

I nodded in agreement. "Sure, but wait until we return from our hunt to call him. I have to speak to him as well."

She inclined her head. "All right."

Everybody decided to go hunting with me since they needed to anyway. We headed deep into the forest, not stopping until we found a herd of deer.

I had to drink more blood than I needed because: One, I had not fed in weeks. Two, I had to gain plenty of strength for the trip to Newton Mearns. The blood had never tasted more sweeter. I supposed that it was because I was overjoyed, to an extent, that I finally knew where Isabella was.

When the others had had more than enough of their fill, we went back to the mansion. Kate called Charlie right away.

"Hello?" I heard him say when he answered his phone.

"Charlie, it's Kate. I have something important to tell you," she announced.

There was a pause, and then Charlie demanded, "What? Is it about Bella? Did you find her?"

"...No we did not find Bella, but she managed to find a way to send Carlisle a few text messages. She told him where she was and how to get there."

"SHE DID?!"

"Yes."

Charlie whooped and shouted praises. "Oh, thank God! My little baby is alive! Could you put Carlisle on the phone, please? I want to talk to him."

Kate handed it to me, and I took it.

"Hi Charlie," I said.

"Carlisle? Carlisle, where is Bella? Where did Edward take her?" he questioned in a rush before I could finish greeting him.

I pursed my lips. "You won't believe this, but she is outside of a small town called Newton Mearns, which is in Scotland," I replied.

Silence, then:

"WHAT?! SCOTLAND?! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!" Charlie exploded.

I chuckled humorlessly. "I only wish that I were," I sighed.

"Well, what are you going to do? Are you going there to get her or what?"

"Yes, that is exactly what my family and I plan to do. We are not going to just sit here now that we know where Isabella is."

He groaned in relief. "I don't know if I can thank you enough for doing this for me. Do you want me to come with you?"

After thinking it over, I responded, "No. It would be best if you remained here in Forks. My family and I will bring Isabella home as safely as possible. We have everything under control."

"Good. Thank you again, Carlisle."

"No problem, Charlie. I am glad to help you."

"Can you put Kate back on the phone now? I want to talk to her for a minute before calling Renée."

"Certainly."

I gave the phone back to Kate. She spoke to him briefly, then hung up.

"I will be staying here with Charlie. I don't want him to be alone while you look for Bella," she proclaimed.

Nodding, I stated, "That is fine, Kate. I understand. I'd better call Jacob now."

I took my phone out of my pocket and dialed Jacob's number. He answered on the third ring.

"Hello? Jacob?" I asked.

"Hey, Carlisle. I was just about to text you. What's up? Do you have any news on where Bella is?" he queried.

"Yes. She had managed to send me several text messages. Edward took her to Scotland and they are outside of a town called Newton Mearns."

He was just as unable to believe this as Charlie was. "_You're not serious!_" he yelled.

I almost laughed mirthlessly again. "I'm afraid that I am, Jacob."

"Well, is Bella okay? Did she say anything about what happened to her since September?"

I did not want to give him the entire truth. Not while we were on the phone and not talking face-to-face. So I simply told him, "Yes, she had, but I will explain everything another time. But to honest, no. She is not okay. We are going to leave for Scotland as soon as we can. There was a something I wanted to ask you, if you don't mind?"

"No, go ahead."

"Would you and your friends like to go with us, if it is at all possible for you to? I will allow you to join me and my family if you can."

Jacob was quiet for a few minutes. "Yes, I would like to, but I don't think that Sam will let everybody else go. Some of us have to stay behind to guard the tribe, you know. But I'll see if I can bring anybody with me. Can I call you back on that? Sam isn't on duty, so I can ask him right now if I can go, and if someone can come with me."

"Of course you may, Jacob."

"Okay. I'll call you back soon."

"All right."

He hung up.

It was a half an hour before Jacob called me back. His voice sounded a little more upbeat this time.

"Sam told me that I am allowed to come. I am bringing my friends Quil, Embry, Leah and Seth with me too. Sam said that I could bring four people with me, and they wanted to come," he stated.

"Wonderful. The more, the better. Where would you and your friends like to meet us?" I inquired.

"It doesn't matter. Where did you prefer?"

"At the boundary line or outside of Port Angeles' airport. Wherever you choose is fine."

"How about the airport?"

"Certainly."

Then he asked, "But what about food? None of us have money to buy enough for all of us. We, um, eat quite a lot."

Snickering, I assured him, "I can buy some for you without any trouble. Don't worry."

Jacob exhaled fervently. "Thanks, Carlisle. I'll find some way to pay you back."

I made a face. "That won't be necessary, Jacob. You really don't have to do that."

"If you say so. I'm going to pack some clothes for the trip then, and meet you at the airport."

"All right, but don't go there so soon. Me and my family have to prepare for the journey first. When we are ready, I will call you and let you know."

"Okay. We'll see you later then, Carlisle."

"Good-bye, and Jacob...thank you."

He laughed loudly. "Don't mention it. You know that I would do anything to help Bella. She's my best friend."

"I know. Good-bye," I repeated.

"Bye."

And Jacob ended the call.

Over the next several hours, my family and I were preoccupied in getting everything we needed for our trip to Scotland. I bought the food, as I promised I would. I also bought a few small refrigerators to keep the food fresh and cool. Eleazar and I put my hospital stretcher in the back of the plane. I also collected some of my medical supplies. I wanted to give Isabella and EJ a check-up as soon as we took off from Newton Mearns. Alice packed two days' worth of clothes for them in case they needed them.

It was eight o'clock in the evening by the time we were situated. I dropped Kate off at Charlie's house. We had a brief conversation, and then I told Charlie that I had to go.

"Have a safe flight, Carlisle. Hurry back. Please bring Bella back in one piece," he added.

"I will do everything in my power to ensure that I do," I promised.

We said good-bye to each and I drove my Mercedes back to my place. After that, I called Jacob and told him to meet my family and I at the airport with his friends.

"Okay, Carlisle. We'll be right there," he said.

I hung up the phone and turned to the others. "All right, everyone. Before we go, I must ask you not to start trouble with Jacob or his friends. I know how you feel about werewolves, but we need to put aside our differences if we are going to work together. That is what Isabella would want. Am I understood?" I questioned.

They nodded and replied at the same time, "Yes."

"Good. Come on, now. My mate and her son EJ needs saving," I declared.

"Yeah! And we have a vampire and four humans to take a torch to!" Emmett added.

Everyone chortled as they ghosted out of the mansion, including me.

When we arrived the airport, Jacob and his friends were already there. We greeted each other tensely, but Jacob and I exchanged more pleasant hellos. Then we boarded the plane. My family and I sat in the first class section. Jacob and the others wanted to be separate from us, which was understandable, and made themselves comfortable in the second class area.

Once we were all sitting down, Eleazar's voice drifted over the intercom.

"All right, people. Strap yourselves in. We are about to take off. Please power down your cell phones until we are in the air. We should arrive in Newton Mearns, Scotland by two o'clock, United Kingdom time. Jacob, Embry, Quil, Leah, Seth, the refreshments are in the refrigerators in the back. There are enough for all of you, so feel free to help yourselves. Meanwhile, everybody, just relax and enjoy the ride," he announced, causing us to laugh a little at his formality.

Eleazar steered the airplane onto the runway, then increased his speed before eventually taking off.

Hang on, Isabella. Here we come.

(A/N: Whew, this chapter is long! **PLEASE REVIEW!** I hope that you liked it! The title of the next chapter is: "What A Rescue!" Hopefully, I will be able to post it by Friday at the latest. Ciao! Oh, and can you _believe_ that EJ said "Fuck you" to Edward earlier in the chapter?)


	21. What A Rescue!

(And now...here's the big one for ya! Enjoy!)

**Bella's POV**

I was so overjoyed and excited that Carlisle was on his way to get me and EJ that I was unable to sleep. I kept thinking he (along with his children, cousins, and Jacob and the pack) would come like thieves in the night, as it said in Revelation in the bible.

When they had not come by 1:00am, I found myself growing exhausted. I tried to stay awake, but my eyelids slid lower and lower until they eventually closed. I slept restlessly; I could feel myself tossing and turning in bed all night long. I could hear everything that went on in the house around me. My ears were listening for a sign of Carlisle's and the other's arrival. If they did come, I would get up at a moment's notice.

However, they did not show up at all that night. I felt kind of disappointed at first when I woke up at nine thirty-as I usually did-and I was still in Edward's mansion. I had thought that EJ and I would be taken away while we were sleeping. (There was really no end to the wild hopes that I had.) But when I remembered that the twenty-four hours were not up, I became much happier.

EJ noticed that I was more cheerful than usual as I served him his breakfast. Being curious as he always was, he asked why I was so jubilant.

I shrugged. "I realize that there are a lot of things for me to be optimistic about. We'll be going back home soon, for one. We will see our family again, and perhaps everything will get a lot better for us," I replied simply.

He thought this over and nodded. "Yeah, that is probably true," he agreed.

As the morning hours went by, I started to become jittery with expectation. I felt as if I could not stay still, but I tried to force myself to because it would look suspicious if I didn't. EJ was more confused than ever by this, but he did not ask about it. He likely thought that I was so antsy because of my high spirits.

When it seemed like I would not be able to, I turned on the kitchen radio. EJ and I spent the rest of the morning listening to Christmas music as I gave him his lessons. I would hum along to what was playing whenever I felt particularly edgy. It calmed me down a little. I was even able to coax EJ into joining me. We enjoyed ourselves greatly as we sang "Jingle Bell Rock", "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree," "The Little Drummer Boy", "Sleigh Ride", and "I'll Be Home For Christmas." The lines that really stuck to me from "I'll Be Home For Christmas" were:

_I'll be home for Christmas_  
_ If only in my dreams_

It was because they were so true. I would be going home today, and so would EJ. I had been afraid that we would not have been able to until the day before New Year's Eve, as Edward had planned. There was no way on Earth I could have waited that long to see Charlie, Carlisle or the others.

When nothing out of the ordinary happened after 12pm, I grew more anxious than ever. What was taking them so long? Had they been held up, or were they close to Scotland?

"Mama, are you all right? You have been acting very weird," EJ observed while I was asking myself these questions.

I started, then inclined my head. "Yes, I'm all right, baby. I guess that I am just acting so strangely because I have not been used to feeling this happy or optimistic for a long time. It's odd not feeling like the world is on my shoulders," I stated.

"Oh. Well, I'm glad that you are happy. I really am. I hated it to see you so depressed and upset and hurt."

Smiling widely, I embraced him. "Thank you, EJ. I don't know what I would do without you." Then I moved away. "Would you like to take a little break from your homework and have your early afternoon snack?"

He had two snacks during the afternoon and one at night. He was so hungry nowadays!

"I think that I'd better. I'm starving," EJ groaned as he walked over to the refrigerator.

"You are always 'starving'," I teased.

"'Course I am! I'm growing up, Mama!" he pointed out with a chuckle.

Once he had finished his Oreo cookies and milk, the both of us went straight back to work. I was glad for a distraction because it prevented me from becoming too restless. Still, I was unable to keep myself from looking at the stove's clock. But each time I did, only five or ten minutes had passed.

For the next hour and forty-five minutes, I gave EJ his lessons on French. I was correcting EJ's pronunciation of "There is a yellow car in the garage," when Edward appeared at 2:07. He did not speak to us, just ran out of the kitchen door. EJ and I exchanged bewildered glances, then shrugged and continued what we were doing.

A minute later, Edward came back in the house. He was smirking, but his eyes were hard with fury and directed at me.

Meeting his gaze, I suddenly realized what may have been the cause of his anger. Had Carlisle and the other finally arrived in Newton Mearns? Or had I done something else wrong that I didn't know about?

"EJ, could you go upstairs for a bit? I need to talk to Mama about something in private," he remarked in that dangerous silky-smooth voice that he only used when he was enraged.

I could tell that EJ was upset because he had dared to speak to him. Nevertheless, he nodded without looking at Edward. After he had stood up, however, he glanced at his father before turning to me in alarm. He knew that something was about to go terribly wrong.

I grinned bravely at him. "Go on, sweetheart. Everything is all right. We won't be long. After I talk to your papa, you can come back. Okay?" I inquired, trying to reassure him.

EJ stared at me for a moment, then bobbed his head. He fixed Edward with a pleading gaze before leaving the kitchen with reluctance.

Once Edward was certain that he was in his room, he glared at me. "Bella, stand up and come here," he ordered in a low, tight voice.

I snorted. "I'm sure that you can talk to me while I am sitting down," I said with irony.

With a growl, he ghosted around the table and snatched me up by the collar. Then pulled me to the center of the kitchen, whipped me around, and slammed me onto the wall by the refrigerator. I grimaced in pain.

"What the _fuck_-" he hissed, "-are Carlisle, our family, and Jacob and his pack of mutts doing _here_?! I _know_ that you know why they are here!"

I blinked, feigning confusion. "They're here?" I asked slowly.

His scowl deepened. "Yes, they are here."

Raising an eyebrow skeptically, I implied, "But you must known that they would have eventually came. I told you before that you couldn't just kidnap me and not expect for them to look for me. Did you really think that they wouldn't do anything to find me...owww!"

Edward had grabbed my hair and yanked it as soon as I had finished my question. His face drew closer to mine. "You are forgetting that I can read minds. They are twenty minutes away from Newton Mearns, but that doesn't mean that I can't hear their thoughts. And did you know what I heard?" he inquired softly.

I did not respond, but he did not intend for me to do so. He answered his own question.

"I heard most of them, except for Jacob and his pack, thinking about several text messages that you had sent to Carlisle," he murmured.

Arranging my face into a mask, I demanded, "Are you crazy?! Text messages? I never sent him anything because you won't let me a phone..."

"You're a lying bitch! I saw through Carlisle's mind that you stole Victor's phone! Have you not learned your lesson about taking people's things without permission?! Do you _ever_ learn _anything_?!" he yelled, shaking me vigorously before slapping me.

I bit my tongue to keep myself from whimpering as my cheek grew numb.

A sinister smile appeared on his face. "It doesn't seem as if a whipping does teach you anything. You seem to learn more when you are getting beaten, however." He was quiet for a second, mulling this over. "Yes...a beating will definitely work..."

Then Edward balled his hand and swung his arm back. His expression contorted in rage.

"Edward, NO! Don't hit me!" I pleaded.

He did not listen; his fist careened towards my face like a train speeding out of control. However, just as I closed my eyes, I heard EJ shout:

"_Don't you **dare** hit Mama again, you motherfucking asshole!_"

And then Edward cried out in pain.

Looking around frantically, I saw that EJ was biting his leg. His teeth sunk into his skin. I was amazed: I never thought that my son's teeth were _that_ strong!

Edward was in enough agony to let me go. He reached down to pull EJ off of him. After that, he shoved him-_shoved him!_-away and raised his hand to smack him.

"NO! DON'T YOU DARE LAY A HAND ON HIM, EDWARD!" I bellowed. I jumped in front of EJ with my arms outstretched. At the same time, Edward's hand collided with my cheek, knocking me to the side. I landed on the table. The force of the blow infuriated and shocked me. Had he really intended to hit our son this hard?! Oh, _hell_ no!

"MAMA!" EJ hollered, rushing over to me. "Mama, are you okay?!"

Edward attempted to grab him, but I blocked his path. "EJ, go! Get out of the house and run until you are near the cliff!" I ordered.

"But Mama! Papa will-" he started to protest.

I laid my hands on his arms. "Baby, please just do what I tell you to do. I'll be fine, but if anything happens to me, just remember that I love you." I gave him a hug and whispered in French, "_Plus que ma propre vie_." (More than my own life.)

"_Toi aussi_, Mama," he mumbled in a tearful voice, kissing my cheek. (_Toi aussi_=You too.)

Then I pushed him slightly. "Now, go! Run to the cliffs like I told you to! GO!"

He turned and practically ghosted out of the door.

Suddenly I was yanked from behind. "How dare you tell my son to leave?! You had better bring him back right _now_!" Edward thundered.

I glared at him. "No," I said in a quiet voice.

He narrowed his eyes. "_What_ you you just say to me?" he questioned in a dangerous voice.

Crossing my arms, I repeated, "No. I won't get him. I will not allow you to harm our son. I can't believe that you were going to hit him that hard! You are lucky that it's not easy for me to run away because I would have left and taken EJ with me again!"

"No, you wouldn't have," he remarked, stepping forward menacingly. I had to back away to keep him from plowing into me. "You are never going to take my son away from me. It's bad enough that he hates me, and it is your fault! You're the reason! You're the reason that he does!"

"Bullshit! _You_ are reason that EJ hates you! If you had never raped me, whipped me, or laid your fucking hands on me in his presence, he wouldn't. Everything is all _your_ fault!" I scoffed as he backed me up around the table.

Edward's face crumpled and his eyes, which had turned black, blazed. "NO!" he growled, snatching me up by my upper arms. "It is your fault! You show me nothing but disrespect and lack of gratitude! And now EJ is doing the same fucking thing! Well, that is about to change because I have _had_ it!"

He tightened his grip on me and I hissed in pain. "You are going to bring my son back, and you are going to tell him that everything is all right between us. You are going to get him to love me again. And _you_ will give me the respect that I deserve, and love me the way you are suppose to. I don't care if Carlisle is truly your soul mate or not. You are _mine_! You are my first love, my _only_ love! _I_ had stolen your heart first! So therefore, in my eyes, _I_ own you! _You_ belong to _me_! You _will_ love me! You _will_ do as I say and give me what I want, when and how I want it! Do you understand me?!" he ranted.

He was crazy. Absolutely fucking crazy. I didn't give a damn, though. If he thought that I was his, then he was in for a rude awakening. And I did not care if EJ heard me. He was going to find out some truths anyway.

"Let's get one thing straight, Edward Anthony Masen. You do _not_ own me. I do _not_ belong to you no matter how much you love me. And I honestly don't think that you do. If you did, you would never have cheated on me, kidnapped me, raped me, beat me, or called me out of my name, especially when our son was around! I don't blame EJ for hating you, even though I never wanted him to. I wanted him to love you. I wanted him to believe that you were a good person, regardless of everything that you had ever done to me. But you gave him a reason to see that you are not, and to hate you. I hate you too, for all that you had done to me, except giving me my son. I can never love you when Carlisle _is_ my true soul mate. And I'm not going to give you _shit_. You have tried to take what you want from me, and you can try to now, but you never have or never will receive what you want. So, you can just fuck off!" I declared.

And then I spat in his face.

POW! Edward's fist slammed into my mouth. Luckily and astonishingly, he did not break or knock out any of my teeth. However, my bottom lip was busted. Warm blood trickled down to my chin.

"_You fucking slut! Do I have to keep telling you what I would do if you do that?!_" he bellowed in my face. He tossed me onto the floor and hovered over me. "You never know what is good for you. I have always been good and fair to you, but you are always giving me a reason to lose my temper with you because of your petty disrespect and ingratitude! This stops now, do you hear me?!"

He began to tear off my clothes. "You are going to love me one way or another. I will make you...you know that I can. You will learn to respect me and do as I tell you. And as I told you before, you will get my son to love me again."

I tried to break away from him, but the smell of my blood was causing my head to spin, so my attempts were feeble. Edward ignored them and ripped away the last of my clothing. Then he took his off.

Once we were both naked, Edward positioned himself at my entrance. Just as I was about to tell him to get off me, he shoved his cock into me. Agonizing pain tore through me, causing me to scream. It hurt that bad. It was just like that last time he had raped me, except this time, the pain seemed worse. Another bolt of pain surged through me and I yelled again.

Edward growled and slapped me so hard that bright dots appeared in my vision. "Shut up and stop pretending that it hurts when it does not. You love it. You have always loved it, just like the whore you are. You have been craving it since after we begun to date. You have loved me before then, and you still do. You are just holding a grudge against me because I cheated on you, and it makes you think that you hate me. But you don't, and I know it. You love me. You love me," he grunted as he pounded into me over and over.

"Damn you! I will _never_ love you, you pussy!" I hollered before spitting in his face again.

"Bitch!" he snarled. He punched me in the side.

**EJ's POV**

_Meanwhile_

As soon as I left the house, I ran to the cliff as Mama told me to do. Behind me, I could hear Papa shouting at her.

"How dare you tell my son to leave?! You had better bring him back right _now_!" he yelled.

"No," Mama whispered back.

She stood up to Papa, as always. I was glad that she did. But why did he have to be such a bully? Why can't he just be nice to Mama? I hoped that he wouldn't hurt her.

When I saw the cliff, I sat down on a boulder. I wanted to go back and protect Mama, but I knew that she wouldn't let me. She would just send me out of the house again.

The longer I listened to my parents argue, though, the harder it became to obey Mama. Papa was getting angrier by the minutes. At the rate he was going, he would lose control of himself.

_Please don't let him hit Mama. Please don't let him hit her_, I prayed.

"...You are going to bring my son back, and you are going to tell him that everything is all right between us. You are going to get him to love me again. And _you_ will give me the respect that I deserve, and love me the way you are suppose to. I don't care if Carlisle is truly your soul mate or not. You are _mine_! You are my first love, my _only_ love! _I_ had stolen your heart first! So therefore, in my eyes, _I_ own you! _You_ belong to _me_! You _will_ love me! You _will_ do as I say and give me what I want, when and how I want it! Do you understand me?!" he bellowed at Mama.

Rage flared up inside me. I could not believe that he said that to her! I hated him even more for that and knew that I could _never_ love him again. He was treating Mama as if she were an animal or object.

"Let's get one thing straight, Edward Anthony Masen," I heard Mama say. "You do _not_ own me. I do _not_ belong to you no matter how much you love me. And I honestly don't think that you do. If you did, you would never have cheated on me, kidnapped me, raped me, beat me, or called me out of my name, especially when our son was around! I don't blame EJ for hating you, even though I never wanted him to. I wanted him to love you. I wanted him to believe that you were a good person, regardless of everything that you had ever done to me. But you gave him a reason to see that you are not, and to hate you. I hate you too, for all that you had done to me, except giving me my son. I can never love you when Carlisle _is_ my true soul mate. And I'm not going to give you _shit_. You have tried to take what you want from me, and you can try to now, but you never have or never will receive what you want. So, you can just fuck off!"

Suddenly, I heard a thump, and then I could smell human blood. Oh no! Did he just punch Mama?!

"_You fucking slut! Do I have to keep telling you what I would do if you do that?!_" There was another thud. "You never know what is good for you. I have always been good and fair to you, but you are always giving me a reason to lose my temper with you because of your petty disrespect and ingratitude! This stops now, do you hear me?!"

After that, there was the sound of cloth being torn. "You are going to love me one way or another. I will make you...you know that I can. You will learn to respect me and do as I tell you. And as I told you before, you will get my son to love me again."

I heard struggling and more ripping.

...And then Mama let out a scream of pain.

_No! Papa, stop hurting her!_ I thought to him.

Either he was too deep in his fury to hear me, or he ignored me, but he didn't. I could hear grunts and whimpers before there was another scream.

"Shut up and stop pretending that it hurts when it does not," Papa panted. You love it. You have always loved it, just like the whore you are. You have been craving it since after we begun to date. You have loved me before then, and you still do. You are just holding a grudge against me because I cheated on you, and it makes you think that you hate me. But you don't, and I know it. You love me. You love me."

There were more thuds and grunts, and I realized that he was beating and raping Mama...again. My jaw dropped in dismay. I had to help her!

I was about to stand up when I remembered that she wanted me to stay here. I felt torn. How could I not do anything when Papa was doing that Mama?

But...I knew that it would hurt her if I did do something. She did not like me to be too close when Papa was raping and/or beating her. If I got hurt, Mama would never forgive herself.

I was so confused that I started to get a headache. What could I do? I hated to hear my mama screaming in pain. It almost killed me!

The more I listened to Mama's cries, the more helpless I felt. Finally, I was so upset over not knowing what to do that I buried my face in my hand and wept. Every time I heard a thud, or Mama's muffled sob or yell, I cried even harder. I was scared! What if Papa caused her permanent damage? What if he hurt her so bad that he ki...? I rocked back and forth. No. I could not bear to think of that.

I was crying so much that I did not hear the footsteps approaching. So when I felt a cool hand on my shoulder, I jumped. I looked up to see a man in front of me.

It took me a second to realize that it was Carlisle! He looked just like he did in the pictures Mama and Papa had. I could not believe that he was there. The man who adopted Papa, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie, who-except Papa-were behind him. The man who Mama looked at with love, longing, and sadness. The man that Mama said was her soul mate. Many others were behind him too: Uncle Eleazar, Aunt Carmen, Aunt Irina, and five Native Americans.

I stared at him before turning back to the person in front of me.

"Carlisle?" I whispered in awe.

His eyes widened. "You know who I am?" he asked in surprise.

I nodded. "Yes. You adopted Papa. He talks about you all the time, and he has pictures of you. So does Mama. She said that you are her mate," I replied.

He smiled at little. 'Well, she is right, EJ. I am."

Now, it was _my_ turn to be amazed! He knew who I was too! Mama had obviously told him about me when she texted him! He had even admitted that he was her soul mate! I knew that I was right to think that she was in love with Carlisle! It explained why she was looking at one of his pictures the way she did. But I was glad that he was Mama's soul mate. She needed someone who would love her like Papa should have. I knew that he would never hurt her like Papa did. Nobody would harm their soul mate on purpose.

Carlisle's expression turned serious. "Where is your mother, EJ? We have come to get her."

I pointed in the direction of the mansion. "She is in the house, in the kitchen with Papa. You have to help her! Papa found out that she texted you, and he is furious with her! He's hurting her! He's...he's..." I couldn't finish my statement because was trying hard not to cry again.

Grabbing my upper arms gently, Carlisle demanded urgently, "He is what, son? You can tell me."

I looked at the others before beckoning him to move closer. I didn't want them to hear what I was going to tell him.

I cupped my hands over his ear. "He's raping her, I know it. I can hear Papa grunting and Mama screaming and crying. They always do that when he rapes her," I hissed.

Carlisle's mouth fell as he backed away from me. He was so horrified and angry that he just looked at me.

When he didn't move, I turned to the others. "Please! Please help Mama! Papa's raping her! I'm so afraid that he'll hurt her even more!" I said, running to each of them. I did not care if they knew it anymore.

Alice, Rosalie, Aunt Carmen, and Aunt Irina gasped. Uncle Eleazar and the Native American people started at me with their mouths open. One of them, a woman who looked like she was about Mama's age, was on her knees. She was staring at me as if I were the most saddest, interesting, and beautiful thing in the world. Tears were rolling down her cheeks.

Suddenly, for some unknown reason, she made me feel safe. As if everything would be okay. I ran to her. "Please help my mama," I begged.

The woman picked me up, nodding while she did. "We will, EJ. We will help your mama. Your papa will never hurt her again," she murmured.

I embraced her tightly. "Thank you! Thank you!" I whispered.

Carlisle patted my back. "That's right, EJ. We will help her, so don't worry anymore. She is going to be okay. All right, everyone. Let's move!"

The woman carried me as she followed him. I couldn't believe that she was able to do that! She had to be really strong because I was way too heavy for Mama now. Even Papa's friends couldn't pick me up. She must not have been human either, even though she looked like one, like Papa and my vampire family.

I smiled to myself when the house appeared. They were going to save Mama. She was going to be okay!

**Carlisle's POV**

_Minutes before_

Eleazar landed the plane without any trouble. Once he had brought it to a stop, we stepped out of it and left the airfield. Then we headed for the forest trail outside of town. It was easy to find; it took us less than a quarter of a minute to get there. Jacob and his friends phased out of their werewolf states before joining us at the cliff Isabella told us about.

I cleared my throat to gain their attention. "I will go up first to make sure that the coast is clear. If it is, I will throw down the rope for Jacob and his friends. After that, we will get Isabella, deal with Edward and his friends, torch the house and leave," I stated.

I had not told Jacob and the pack about what happened to Isabella until we had arrived in Newton Mearns. I did not want to risk doing so on the airplane. They would have destroyed it if they had phased, which they did after I had explained everything to them. Jacob was particularly enraged that Edward and his friends had been terrorizing Isabella.

"Just wait until I see them!" he had roared after phasing back into a human. "I will end them for hurting my best friend! She did not deserve anything that they had done to her!"

Everyone nodded, and I climbed up the cliff. Peeking over the top of it, I saw no one. However, I could hear a boy sobbing and Edward and Isabella yelling nearby.

I swung my legs over the edge and tossed the rope down to where the others were. Then I signaled to them that it was all right to come up.

My children and cousins did first. After that, Jacob and his friends did. I was surprised that the rope was strong enough to hold them. Either that, or they did not put too much of their weight on it. When we were all assembled, I motioned for them to follow me.

We had barely started running when we found the boy who was crying. I was unable to see his face because his hands were covering it. His curly, mahogany-brown hair trembled as he wept. I knew that he had to be EJ-his hair was perfectly identical to Isabella's, except that it was shorter.

Knowing that something had to be terribly wrong to make him cry, I immediately wanted to know what was going on. I laid my hand on his shoulder, and his head shot up.

I had to keep my jaw from unhinging from my mouth. EJ looked liked Isabella so much that it was a little frightening. She could have literally spit him out. In addition to his mahogany-brown hair, he had her chocolate-brown eyes, nose, mouth, and chin. He even had her facial structure, but his features were modified so that they were boyish. Only his hands and ears were inherited from Edward.

He gaped at me for a least thirty seconds, then murmured, "Carlisle?"

My eyes grew large. How did he know me? "You know who I am?" I demanded in shock.

EJ inclined his head. "Yes. You adopted Papa. He talks about you all the time, and he has pictures of you. So does Mama. She said that you are her mate," he responded.

I had to grin. 'Well, she is right, EJ. I am."

This time, he was taken aback. Whether it was because I was truthful about being his mother's soul mate, or because I knew his name, I was not certain.

I decided to put this aside and turn to the matter at hand. "Where is your mother, EJ? We have come here to get her," I added.

He gestured to the woods behind him. "She is in the house, in the kitchen with Papa. You have to help her! Papa found out that she texted you, and he is furious with her! He's hurting her! He's...he's..." he faltered.

"He is what, son? You can tell me," I assured him as I placed my hands on his arms. I knew that he had something important to say.

He peered behind m before leaning over and cupping his hand over my ear. "He's raping her, I know it. I can hear Papa grunting and Mama screaming and crying. They always do that when he rapes her," he whispered.

My jaw did drop this time, and I was stunned into immobility. That bastard was raping my Isabella, my soul mate _right now_?! Even though their son was still close enough to know what was happening?! He was going to pay for this with his life! I swear to God that he was...!

"Please!" I heard EJ implore from what seemed like far away. "Please help Mama! Papa's raping her! I'm so afraid that he'll hurt her even more!"

The men could only look at him as the women, except for Leah Clearwater, gasped. Leah was on her knees, staring at EJ as if she had seen God in him and crying silently. EJ must have noticed that she was paying avid attention to him because he went to her.

"Please help my mama," he begged again.

She nodded dazedly as she picked him up. "We will, EJ. We will help your mama. Your papa will never hurt her again."

EJ wrapped his arms around her neck. "Thank you! Thank you!"

By this time, I had recovered and was able to move. "That's right, EJ. We will help her, so don't worry anymore. She is going to be okay," I vowed, deciding that we had spent enough time in this clearing. "All right, everyone. Let's move!"

We ran in the direction of the house. Now that I was more focused on the task ahead of me, the screaming and whimpering seemed louder than ever. I was thankful when the house appeared within less than a second. I could hear Edward talking in a room...the kitchen, as EJ had told me...to the far left.

"...You _are_ going to say that you love me, even if it takes forever. I will change you if I have to and rape you while you're going through the transformation. Trust me on that," he grunted.

"NO, YOOF WON'T! GEF THE FUFK OFFA ME!" Isabella shouted.

I agreed with her. He certainly would not! I was going to make sure that he never harmed her or laid a finger on her again.

With no effort at all, I ripped the door off of its hinges and stormed into the kitchen.

There, sprawled on the floor in front of me, was Isabella and Edward. Edward was on top of her, thrusting in and out of her much too roughly. His hand was covering her mouth. Isabella squirmed underneath him, but he was holding her firmly in place. Bruises littered her body except for her abdomen. Dried blood was plastered on the underside of her chin. My heart ached to see her in that position.

Edward had clearly heard me bust in because he turned as soon as I did, but did not stop what he was doing. He gazed at me for a long moment, then smirked smugly at me.

That was when I saw red. Nothing but red. With a fierce growl, I lunged forward and yanked him off of Isabella. Edward attempted to fight me, but Emmett and Jasper grabbed his arms and assisted me in hauling him out of the door. Alice, Rosalie, Carmen, Irina, and Leah dashed into the house to take care of Isabella.

As soon as we were outside, I tightened my hold on Edward. Then I tore off his penis and nutsack. He threw his head back and bellowed in pain.

"You are dead!" I snarled before shoving his face in the mud. After that, I pulled him up and kicked him in the nose. "_How **dare** you?! How **dare** you hurt **my** Isabella in the manner that you have?! How **dare** you allow your friends to touch her?!_"

I continued to punch and kick him. Emmett, Jasper, Eleazar, Jacob and his friends joined us. Everyone had a turn in taking out their rage on him. By the time we had finished, Edward had several broken ribs.

"EJ!" he gasped in pain. "EJ, help me!"

**EJ's POV**

I stood near the trees as Carlisle and the other men beat up Papa. _Good,_ I thought. _Maybe a beating will teach **him** a lesson and make him stop hurting Mama._

They kept hitting and kicking him for a while. I heard bones cracking and breaking. Finally, Papa was hurt so badly that he was brought to his knees.

He turned to look at me. "EJ! EJ, help me!" he pleaded.

I walked over to him hesitantly, but kept my distance. "What do you want _me_ to do?" I asked him rudely.

Papa was surprised by the tone of my voice. A second later, he winced. "EJ, please...tell them. Tell them that I never meant to hurt your mother. Tell them that it was an accident. Tell them about how much I love her, about how much I love you."

Did he really think that I would stoop to telling Carlisle and the others his lies? I didn't think so!

I shook my head. "I know that you love me...but I can never love you back for what you did to Mama. You never really did treat her as if you loved or cared about her. You have done nothing but mistreat and rape her, and you know that I hate you for it. And it makes me sad because you are my father. I shouldn't have to hate you at all, but I do. So, no. I will _not_ help you. If I do, you probably will just find a way to hurt Mama again. I can't let that happen. She deserves better than you. And you don't deserve to be my father, or be called my father. A father of mine would _never_ hurt my mama, especially in the way that you have," I remarked.

Tears ran down his face. "EJ...son...please," he gasped.

I backed away. "I am sorry, but that's how it is. You can go to hell and burn for all I care. Carlisle and I will take care of Mama. Good-bye, Edward."

He crumpled in defeat as I headed back over to the trees. When I was nearly there, I buried my face in my hands and wept. I had no idea why I did, though. Maybe it was because I felt relieved that I had finally told him how I really felt about him.

Suddenly, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. At the same time, I heard yelling and what sounded like metal being torn. But I did not look up, even when I smelled fire minutes later.

Edward was dead. I already knew it.

"It's all right, sweetie. Everything is going to be all right," the woman who was touching my shoulder mumbled. It was the Native American one. I could tell by her voice.

I turned and wrapped my arms around her. She patted my hair.

"Shhhh. It's okay," she whispered over and over.

And everything was. Edward was dead, and he would never, ever hurt Mama again.

**Carlisle's POV**

When EJ had ran over to the edge of the clearing, I scowled at Edward. "And now, you sick, twisted son of a bitch, get ready to die a slow, painful death. You had it coming to you for what you did to Isabella," I hissed.

"No...please...no..." he whimpered.

I ignored him and, holding a part of his forearm tightly, ripped off his hand. I nodded to Jasper, who tore off the other one. Emmett and I yanked off both his forearms below the elbow. Eleazar helped me in removing his biceps.

After his arms had been taken off, Jacob, Seth, Quil, and Embry phased. Leah did not join them. She felt concerned about EJ-although she did not say this- and went to comfort him.

Jacob and his friends had no problems in biting off his legs piece by tiny piece. Quil even tore his stomach open. Edward sobbed and cried out in agony for the entire time as he was being dismembered. It served him right. He deserved all of the pain he felt for everything that he had done.

Once I was satisfied that enough of Edward's body parts littered the ground, I lit a pile of branches that Emmett had collect for me on fire. Then I snatched Edward up by his head.

"Any last words?" I inquired of him in a deadly voice.

"Carlisle...Father...please, I'm so sorry!" he wept.

I snarled at him. "First of all, do not call me 'Father'. You are no son of mine. And as for being sorry, you should have thought of how much you would be before you had harmed my mate, and before you had allowed your friends to do so. I hope that all of you suffer more than everybody else in hell," I growled.

And before Edward could say another word, I ripped his head off of his shoulders. Then I tossed into the dancing flames. The others helped me by throwing his other body parts into the blazes.

Now, that we had taken care of him, there were still four humans that we had to deal with...

**Bella's POV**

_Ten minutes before__  
_

As Edward raped me, I fought him as much as I could. However, since I was still half-faint from smelling my own blood, I was unable to make much headway. I settled for spitting on him instead. He grew even more furious and beat me. With every blow and thrust, I wept or yelled in pain, but continued to spit on his face. Edward eventually became tired of this and simply clamped his hand over my mouth.

"You love me. You know you do," he repeated over and over again.

The moments dragged by sluggishly. Where was EJ? Was he all right? And what was taking Carlisle and the others so long? I hoped that they would get here soon because every part of my body was in agony. I struggled again, but Edward had me pinned.

"You are not going anywhere," he declared, slapping me once more. "You will not be allowed to get up until you tell me that you love me. And you will. You _are_ going to say that you love me, even if it takes forever. I will change you if I have to and rape you while you're going through the transformation. Trust me on that."

I glared at him hatefully. "NO, YOOF WON'T! GEF THE FUFK OFFA ME!" I hollered, trying to escape him again. He tightened his grip on me.

Abruptly, I heard a couple of deafening thumps. Edward looked around to find the source of them. I tried to as well, but because of his hand pressing into my face, I couldn't. He smiled evilly at whatever or whoever it was.

Before I blink, he was off of me. Alice, Rosalie, Carmen, Irina, and Leah Clearwater filled my vision just as quickly as I heard him bellow.

"Oh, my God!" Rosalie breathed. "She's bruised up just about everywhere!"

"Are you too hurt, Bella? Do you think that you can sit up?" Alice queried in distress.

I shifted experimentally. My body ached, but not too much, thankfully. "Yeah, I guess so," I mumbled. With some effort, I carefully lifted myself up into a sitting position. "Where's Carlisle?"

"Outside dealing with Edward," she replied. "Could one of you give her a blanket please?"

One was handed to me a second later. "Thanks," I said to Leah, who offered it. I wrapped it around myself. "I'm going to take a quick shower."

"All right. Don't forget to pack some clothes and anything else that you and EJ need. Do you want any of us to come with you?" Rosalie inquired.

"I don't care, but you can if you want to. I'll only take about fifteen to twenty-five minutes, but no more than that." I stood up, groaning a little as I did. "Oh, Carmen and Irina, Tanya is in a cottage that is in the next clearing," I announced, pointing in the direction of it. "You can find her there."

They nodded and thanked me before ghosting away. I headed up to my room with Alice and Rosalie.

While I was taking some clothes to wear out of my dresser, I noticed them staring at me with sympathy and despair.

"You are really going to need a check-up as soon as we are on the plane. You'll need another, more thorough one after we get home too. Carlisle had brought his medical supplies with him," Alice remarked.

"Mmm. Well, I won't be long. Only about five minutes."

"Is there anything you would like us to pack for you?"

I inclined my head. "Yeah. EJ's Christmas presents are in the basement. I'll need help carrying them."

"No problem, Bella. We'll take care of it. Go ahead and do what you need to do."

I showered rapidly but thoroughly and got dressed. As I was did, I heard more screaming. The shouts were pain-filled, as if their owners were being tortured. I wondered what was going on?

**Carlisle's POV**

_Picking up from where he had left off_

Edward was still burning as my sons, Eleazar, Jacob, and his friends entered the house, intent on murdering Edward's band of rapists. Jacob and his crew took some knives from the kitchen, and then we set off to find them.

They turned out to be in four different bedrooms upstairs. When they saw us, they attempted to run, but we caught them easily.

"What the-?! Who are you?!" one of the men, a black-haired one, demanded in fear and alarm.

"Your makers," I responded in a harsh voice. I lifted him up, carried him to the stairway's landing, and pitched him down to the first floor. There was a loud SNAP! and I saw his leg break. A bone tore through his skin.

Everyone took their cue from me and propelled the other three men down the stairs too. More bones cracked, snapped, or became dislocated.

We charged downstairs after them. Jasper and I chose to deal with the black-haired man while Eleazar and Emmett selected the one with light-brown hair. Jacob and Seth yanked up the one with dirty-blonde hair, and Embry and Quil were clutching the dark-brown haired man.

We tortured the men slowly. My family and I used our bare hands to rip off their limbs and scratched deep cuts and lacerations into their flesh. Jacob and his pack did the same with their knives, but they also stabbed them in various parts of their bodies. Pretty soon, blood covered more than half of the carpet. "This is for all of the pain that you put my Isabella through!" "This is for what you did to Bella!" could be heard all over the living room.

Edward's friends cried, yelled, and begged for us to stop as we sliced them open little by little. Soon, they were pleading for us to kill them. And finally, after ten long minutes, we granted them their wishes.

"Burn in hell," I growled to the black-haired man before beheading him. Emmett smashed his light-brown haired victim's head in. Jacob drove his knife through the dirty-blonde haired man's heart. Quil slit the dark-brown haired man's throat.

After making sure that all of them were dead, we cleaned ourselves up. Then we headed outside to wait for Bella and the girls. None of us had gotten any blood on our clothes, so we were spared the trouble of throwing them away.

I could not help but smile to myself as we stood in the yard. My Isabella had finally been avenged. She would not have to worry about Edward, his friends, or anyone else bringing harm to her again. I have made sure of that, and will continue to do so.

** Bella's POV**

When I heard the screams abruptly stop, I knew that Edward and his friends were dead.

Grinning, I went to Edward's room and took three large duffel bags out of a closet. I packed a few changes of clothes for me and EJ, our toiletries, and our pictures in one of the bags. Then I returned to his room and took out his own packets of photos from the top portion of his side-table drawer.

Underneath them was a small black box with a note on it.

_For Edward Jacob, when he comes of age._

I opened it to see Edward's mother's ring. I closed it and put it in my bag. I would save it for EJ, in case he would want it.

After that, I packed EJ's Playstation 2 into the other duffel bag. I threw in his remotes and his favorite games. Finally, I packed away his Gameboy Advance along with the games and his IPod.

There. I had everything. I zipped up the second bag and met Alice and Rosalie in the hallway. They were both holding bags full of EJ's presents.

"Finished?" Rosalie asked.

"Yes," I replied.

She nodded as both she and Alice took one of my bags. "Let's go, then. They are about to torch this place."

We hurried through the hall and down the stairs. When we entered the parlor, I could not help but gasp.

The lifeless bodies of Edward's friends were spread all over the floor. They were so bloody and mutilated that I was nearly unable to recognize them. However, I could tell them apart by their hair. Daniel and Victor had brown hair, but Daniel's was lighter. Jerry had dirty-blonde hair, and Brad's was inky-black.

"Come on, Bella. This way," Alice muttered, steering me out of the parlor's entrance by my hand.

As soon as I was outside, I inhaled deeply. The smell of the blood had made me feel queasy and lightheaded.

We walked around to the other side of the house where the kitchen door was. A large crowd was standing a few feet away from it. I smiled as I spotted Emmett, Jasper, Jacob, Quil, Embry, and Seth. The Denalis except for Kate-she was not there-were hugging Tanya, who was crying into Irina's neck. All of them looked extremely tense, bewildered, frightened, and worried for some unexplainable reason. EJ was being held by Leah, which I thought was rather strange. I wondered how they became friends so quickly.

Before I could ponder over this more, my eyes fell on the one person that I had desperately wished to see the most.

Carlisle. My Carlisle.

"Isabella!" he cried, running over to me.

Smiling brightly, I dropped my bag and met him halfway. He swept me up and spun me around before kissing me with passion, longing, and abandon. It was as if he couldn't kiss me enough. I kissed him back just as fervently. Tears of joy ran down our faces and intermingled.

At last, I was right where I needed to be: with him, in his arms.

"I missed you, Carlisle," I sobbed.

"Sweetheart, I missed you too. You will never know how much," he remarked before smashing his lips onto mine again.

After a while, he set me down. "Isabella, are you all right? Are you in a lot of pain?"

I nodded. "I am in some pain, but it's not unendurable."

"Good. I will look you over once we are on the plane, sweetheart." Then he turned to the others. "Okay, let's get rid of this place!"

Leah carried EJ over while the guys obeyed him with delight.

"Mama, are you sure that you're okay?" EJ questioned in concern.

"Yes, baby, I'm all right for the most part." I reached out to take him, but Leah moved away. "Let me hold him," I said to her.

"No!" Leah proclaimed.

Scowling, I stepped forward, but she backed away from me again. This time, she did it in wild desperation.

"NO!" she repeated with a fierce growl. "I want to hold him for a bit longer!"

I gaped at her in anger and confusion. "What is the matter with you, Leah?! Why are you so obsessed with holding my son? Seriously, someone would think that you impr-"

Her eyes suddenly flashed ominously, and I could feel my own widen in dawning comprehension.

Leah imprinted on him. She imprinted on my son. This revelation shocked me to no end, and I was upset about it. How dared she imprint on EJ! He may have looked as if he were eight or nine, but in reality, he was barely more than two months old!

I was preparing for a full-fledged rant when I remembered something that Jacob had told me several months ago.

"_You would do anything, be anything for her. A friend, brother, protector..._" he had said.

Then I recalled the situation with his friend Quil and Claire. Claire was Sam's fiancée's-Emily's-niece. She was also Quil's imprint, and she was only two years old. However, they would not be together for years until she was old enough. In the meantime, Quil would be like a very protective big brother to Claire, as well as her best friend. When Claire was finally of age, they would mate. Thankfully, there was nothing perverse about the whole imprinting thing in these cases, so I knew that EJ would be all right where Leah was concerned. She would always take good care of him.

Nodding to myself in reassurance, I grinned at her. "I understand now. Congratulations. I'm happy for you both. I really am," I stated truthfully.

Leah smiled back. "Thank you."

When I noticed that EJ looked bewildered, I said, "I will explain later."

"All right. But Mama, can I ask you about something else?" he queried.

"Sure. You know that you can always ask me anything," I replied.

He bobbed his head, then frowned. "Mama, I heard Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett, Uncle Eleazar, and Jacob and his friends killing Papa's friends. Why did they do that?"

I pursed my lips with a grimace. "I'm afraid that I'll have to explain that later too. We don't have time to discuss it right now."

EJ sighed in annoyance. "If you say so."

"Okay, everybody. Move back!" Carlisle declared as he and the other men ran out of the house with small red tanks of gasoline.

All of us stepped away from the building as he lit a match. He chucked it into the kitchen door and ghosted over to us as it caught on fire.

We watched as the blazes quickly spread. In no time at all, they were spewing out of the upper windows. I could hear everything inside of the mansion burning. Everything but the memories, which I knew would stay with me-and EJ-forever.

Minutes later, the house collapsed. Jacob, Embry, Quil, and Seth put out the flames with moist blankets to prevent them from causing a forest fire.

Once the charred remains were nothing but smoke, Carlisle walked over to me and picked up my duffel bag. "Let's go, my dear. We are leaving," he said.

I climbed onto his back and everyone headed for the cliff. Jacob and his friends when down first. Leah went next, and we made sure that EJ proceeded over it safely. Then Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie jumped down. After that, Carlisle pulled up the rope to make sure that nobody would be able to get up here. I hung onto him tightly as we descended over the cliff.

When we joined the other, we headed down the zigzag trail. Some of the guys cheered as we did. I wanted to myself, feeling as overjoyed as they did, but I suddenly felt too exhausted and achy to. It felt as if my bones had liquified.

At the base of the hill, Jacob, Leah, and the rest of the pack phased. EJ almost had a panic attack, not expecting this to happen.

"I knew that Leah couldn't be human if she could pick me up and carry me!" he exclaimed.

Leah blinked in surprise, but did not look offended. Perhaps she could tell-as I could-that he did not intend to offend her.

EJ gave no objections when Leah indicated that he could ride on her back. Carlisle hoisted him onto her back, and we were on our way to the airport.

It only took us a few seconds to get there. We waited for Jacob and the others to phase back, then boarded the plane. The inside of it was huge! It was large enough that Jacob and his friends would be comfortable, as tall as most of them were.

"This way, Isabella," Carlisle murmured, leading me to a curtained area. EJ and Leah followed us, as well as Alice and Rosalie. There was a bed and several chairs. We sat down and buckled our seat belts.

Seconds later, I heard Eleazar's voice thudding from the speakers. "Okay, everybody, you know the procedure. Power down your cell phones and put your seat belts on. We are about to take off. We shall be in Port Angeles by 3:45 or 4:00pm Pacific Standard Time. Meanwhile, enjoy the ride, relax, and help yourselves to any refreshments if you want to."

He steered the plane onto the runway. Then it went faster before rising off of the ground.

I could not help but smile in triumph and relief. I was finally escaping the place where I had been held captive and subjected to unimaginable torture for so long. I was finally free from Edward, and his friends.

And at long last, I was finally going home. I really _would_ be there for Christmas, and thankfully, it wouldn't be in my dreams.

(A/N: YEEEEEHAAAA! Those bastards finally got what was coming to them! What did you think of the chapter? Did you like it, or were you disappointed? **PLEASE REVIEW** and let me know! The title of the next chapter: Home At Last!


End file.
